The Lightning Fiend
by Snoe
Summary: Sequel to 'The Lightning Tree'. Surviving a lightning strike and twenty-foot jump may seem like miraculous feats, but things are never easy when you're Miley. Is a new danger really lurking or is Miley simply as crazy as everyone thinks? Liley
1. Chapter 1

**The Lightning Fiend**

**Rating: **T, for language and sexual situations

**Summary: **Sequel to 'The Lightning Tree'. Surviving a lightning strike and twenty-foot jump may seem like miraculous feats, but things are never easy when you're Miley. Is a new danger really lurking or is Miley simply as crazy as everyone thinks? Liley

Here, as promised, is the long awaited sequel! It's taken me quite some time to put something together, in fact, I had started the sequel and scrapped it, so I really hope you all enjoy this story. Let me know what you all think...hopefully you'll want me to continue ;)

* * *

**Chapter I **

A truck moved across the gravel road towards the house, kicking up dirt and pebbles in its wake. The road and surrounding area were covered with fallen leaves, painting everything a murky yellow and brown. They'd had the first few nights of frost this past week and the ground was wet and cold. The sky, too, was a dreary gray, filled with rain clouds that refused to give more than a weak drizzle now and again. Despite the gloom outside, the occupants of the vehicle were anything but somber. One in particular was exuding an aura of excitement and glee, though this did not go unnoticed by the other two occupants.

Lilly gave a cursory glance to the girl by her side. She raised an eyebrow at Miley, who was starting to fidget as a beautiful, two-story farmhouse came into view. Miley turned to her girlfriend, gave one of her trademark grins and focused her attention back on the scenery moving by. Lilly suddenly felt anxious as well. She had been assigned a very important task and she turned to meet Susan's eyes in the rearview mirror, in silent confirmation of their agreement. Susan pulled up in front of the farmhouse, practically able to feel the excitement rolling off her daughter. She was almost hesitant to stop the truck.

As the truck was slowing to a stop in front of the house, Lilly was already reaching for her girlfriend, determined to do her job. Suddenly her phone began vibrating and with a quick curse she fumbled in her pocket to find it. That split-second of inattentiveness would cost her and Lilly realized it almost as soon as Susan turned off the motor. She tried valiantly, half lunging across the backseat to grab Miley's arm, but the younger girl had already thrown open the door. Lilly, imprisoned by her seatbelt, was unable to stop her. Miley was already running towards her favorite tree, before either of the other two had even exited the vehicle.

"Miley! No running!" yelled Susan, though she already knew her words would fall on deaf ears. "Miley Ray, I swear I will ground you if you touch that tree!"

Lilly, finally having freed herself from her seatbelt imposed imprisonment, slammed the truck door shut as she stepped onto the wet ground. She wasn't going to voice her opinion, but when had being grounded **ever** stopped Miley from doing something she wanted? They both watched, half in awe and half in concerned anger, as Miley grasped the lowest branch of the tree and hoisted herself up.

"Her upper body strength's certainly improved," said Lilly, her voice tinged with a hint of amusement.

Susan turned to look at her, eyes stern. "Fantastic. You were supposed to stop her."

Lilly shrugged and held up her cell phone. "She tricked me."

"I'm gonna regret the day I got that girl a cell phone."

"Don't worry, I'm sure she'll lose it before the end of the year," said Lilly with a smirk and moved to the bed of the truck to grab their things.

Susan took the duffel bag from Lilly's hands and walked towards the front door, stopping on the bottom step of the front porch. "Miley, if you don't come down this instant, I'm gonna put you over my knee, girl."

Her only response was laughter and she shook her head, though she couldn't help but smile as she ascended the stairs and went into the house. Lilly threw a glance at the tree and with a heavy sigh she grabbed the crutches out of the truckbed, before walking over to her girlfriend.

Miley wasn't very high in the tree, merely straddling the lowest branch, swinging her legs as she looked down at Lilly. She was grinning, looking absolutely content sitting in the miserable December weather on a wet and moss-covered tree branch. Lilly looked up at her, hoping her face looked pitiful enough to convince Miley to come down.

"Miley, please come down; I just wanna go inside and get warmed up."

"Or you can come up here and get warmed up," said Miley, wearing a sly grin on her face.

Lilly rolled her eyes, though she had to admit the offer was somewhat tempting. "Or we can go inside and you can finally see the house."

It was the only trump card she currently held and Lilly hoped it would get Miley off the tree. After the farmhouse burned down some time ago, it had finally been rebuilt after over a year, thanks in large part to various donors who'd read about Miley's astonishing jump in the local papers. Grandma Ruby had been handed the keys last week, when Miley was confined to a hospital bed. Lilly knew she was dying to see her new room.

Miley seemed to consider the offer, almost frowning at the realization that Lilly was about to win. But she did really want to see the house and the tree would still be here later, when no one was around to stop her. She nodded. "Okay. Move back so I can jump."

A cold fist clenched around Lilly's heart at the statement and she quickly shook her head. "No! No, don't jump, Miles. Just…slide down and I'll catch you."

Lilly wasn't sure whether the fear came from the knowledge that it would be incredibly stupid for Miley to jump when she wasn't even supposed to be walking without crutches or whether it arose from the memories of that horrible day last summer which nearly cost Miley her life. She shook her head to clear the remnants of that day, realizing Miley was, surprisingly, already doing as instructed. Miley slid off the branch sideways until she was hanging onto it and Lilly immediately wrapped her arms around her girlfriend's midsection. Miley let go off the branch and slid down Lilly's body, much to the younger girl's delight. When they were finally face to face, Miley grinned and darted forward to plant a soft kiss against her girlfriend's lips.

Lilly had almost let herself be tricked again, but this time she grabbed a hold of Miley's arm before the girl could run off again. "Not so fast, Road kill," she said and handed a disgruntled Miley the crutches.

Lilly smiled and leaned forward to kiss Miley again and waited for her to get the crutches situated. Over the past few months Miley had gotten quite good with the crutches, though unsurprisingly she ditched them every chance she got. She had spent a good amount of the past few months between a wheelchair, crutches and a hospital bed, enduring the multiple surgeries required to fix her with a calm resolve. Now, however, she'd just put the, hopefully, last surgery behind her and the need to run and climb was overpowering.

The ground was wet and muddy and they walked slowly back to the house, Lilly closely watching Miley for any signs she was considering escape. But Miley **did** want to see the new house, so she followed along on her crutches dutifully.

**xxx**

"My legs are hairy." Miley sounded unperturbed, as if she was merely stating a fact and Lilly couldn't help but snort at the statement. After months of braces and external pins, Miley's legs were more than just hairy.

"You're road kill with fur," said Lilly, grinning until Miley shoved her hairy legs onto her lap.

Lilly shifted in the bathtub, sloshing water and foam across the bottom of Miley's face. Miley spluttered and pushed herself up far enough to not have to drink bathwater again. Once she had discovered her new bathroom contained a whirlpool tub, everything else had been completely forgotten and she'd been in the tub before Lilly could talk her out of it. Of course, Lilly didn't think she'd ever talk her gorgeous girlfriend out of taking a bath, so she had merely shrugged and joined Miley. Now, lying in the foamy, hot water, she felt completely relaxed and at peace.

Miley nudged her with her leg again and Lilly groaned. She leaned half out of the tub to grab the razor sitting on a cabinet and handed it to her girlfriend. "If you're gonna shave, I'm getting out. I am **not** sitting in hairy bathwater."

"But I thought you loved me, hair and all." Miley pouted at her and her face was just too adorable for Lilly to pass up. She leaned over and planted a wet kiss on Miley's lips.

"Nope, I never said that. Now shave off your fur, Road kill." Lilly kissed Miley again and stood up, grabbing a towel to wrap around herself before stepping out of the tub. She knew Miley was probably still pouting and because she had little resistance for it, Lilly didn't turn to look as she left the room.

Miley grumbled as she watched her go, but set to quickly finish her task so she could get out. The tub was suddenly a lot less fun without her girlfriend in it. She shaved quickly and emptied the tub. Miley wrapped a towel around herself and walked back into her adjoining bedroom. She was still amazed by the size of the new house and particularly her room, which had an open layout with plenty of space for her few things and several big windows overlooking the trees and pastures outside. Her mom had picked most of the furniture and decorations, supposedly because Miley had been in the hospital still when the house was completed, but Miley knew her mother well enough to figure the woman had been worried about what her daughter might choose. Miley didn't mind, she liked her room and as long her guitar and the pictures of her father and brother had made the move, she was perfectly happy.

"Where are your crutches?" Lilly had heard the door open and turned from her spot on the bed, where she'd been reading. Miley was wearing nothing but a towel, her hair still dripping wet, grinning as usual and the sight made Lilly's mouth go a little dry. Miley was gorgeous, there was no way around it, but the mischievousness was what did Lilly in. She wanted to throw Miley onto the bed and have her way with her, knowing full well this was probably what Miley had intended by coming into the room like this. Nevertheless, Lilly's concern for her girlfriend's health overrode her hormones.

"Are you only dating me for my crutches?" Miley gave her a little pout and Lilly shook her head, refusing to be baited.

"You have no idea how sexy those things are, Miles."

Miley only threw her a look and made her way over to the bed, though her steps were somewhat unsteady. Lilly almost jumped up to help her, but stopped herself. Miley was old enough to know better and Lilly refused to constantly fret over her. Miley's mother and grandma had that job covered already. So she waited until Miley sat on the edge of the bed before she got up. Looking down at her girlfriend, Lilly immediately noticed the grimace on Miley's face.

"That hurt?" asked Lilly, crossing her arms.

"Yeah," said Miley easily and it was one of those things Lilly loved about her – Miley had no need to lie or pretend.

Lilly shook her head. "And that's why you're supposed to use crutches. Now stay here and I'll get your clothes **and** your crutches."

Miley smiled at her and grabbed Lilly's hand before she could walk away. She tugged on it until Lilly relented and leaned down, bringing their lips together. Even after over six months the tingles that shot through both their bodies at the contact was overwhelming and all-consuming. Miley's tongue brushed against Lilly's and suddenly Lilly had forgotten what she'd been planning to do right before. All she knew was that she loved Miley and she was never going to let go.

The doorbell brought them out of their reverie and they both pulled back, out of breath. Miley was smiling brightly, but as soon as they heard voices coming from downstairs, her smile fell and her expression became clouded. Lilly wanted to comment, but knew it would only fall on deaf ears, and instead went to grab Miley's things. Miley was just pulling on her sweatshirt when a knock sounded on the door and Susan opened it just a bit without looking inside.

"Are you guys decent?"

Miley snorted, but Lilly's face turned beet red. Susan may have warmed to her over the months, but that didn't mean she wanted the woman to think she was defiling her daughter while everyone else was downstairs. "You can come in, momma."

Susan opened the door, almost a bit reluctantly, but when she saw both of them fully dressed, sitting on the bed, she relaxed. All it had taken to make her wary of entering her daughter's room was one little mistake where she had walked in on them making out heavily and now Susan always made sure it was safe.

"Dinner's ready."

"What's for dinner?" asked Miley, sounding skeptical.

"Richard brought pizza. He got a Hawaiian for you, Miles."

Miley made a face and shook her head, exasperating both her mother and her girlfriend. "Can I just stay up here?"

"Why? You love pizza," said Susan, though she already knew the answer perfectly well. They'd been having this same fight for months now.

"I don't like Richard," said Miley gruffly, the tone in her voice leaving no room for argument. And they had tried arguing, not just Susan, but Lilly, who thought Richard was a pretty nice guy, as well.

"Then I guess you'll just have to pretend. Now come on downstairs."

Miley thought long and hard on whether she'd be able to get downstairs, out the door and into a tree before someone could stop her, but she knew the stupid crutches would slow her down. Her mother noticed the contemplative look on her face, one that was sure to spell trouble.

"Miley, downstairs. Now." Susan didn't have to tell Miley she was serious, the look on her face and tone of her voice saying it all. She turned to leave and Lilly stood up, handing Miley her crutches before following Susan.

Miley didn't want to get up, but her mother was already angry, so she stood with the aid of her crutches. She stalled for as long as she could, making her way across her room and down the stairs as if she'd never used crutches before, but inevitably she ended up at the dining table. And there was Richard, smiling at her and Miley just wanted to run.

_to be continued_


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you everyone who left me such awesome and encouraging reviews. I'd been worried no one even remembered The Lightning Tree, but I was proven wrong ;) As much as I'd love to do daily updates, life, or school rather, says otherwise, so I'm going to try and update once a week. Hopefully I'll get some extra writing time over winter break. I have a feeling this story's going to be a lengthy one, so get ready for a long ride...

* * *

**Chapter II**

"So, Miley, how do you like your new room?"

Miley just gave a non-committal shrug, which was so unlike her it drew stares from the other three women at the table. Of course she liked her new room and the new house, which was ten times better than the old one, with shiny wooden floors, fresh paint, new appliances and furniture and even a TV that hadn't seen the end of the Cold War. What she didn't like was the man currently sitting at the head of the table, as if he were the head of the house.

"Your mom spent a lot of time finding just the right things for your room. She really wanted you to feel at home," said Richard, his voice smooth, kind and conciliatory, but to Miley it all sounded like nails on a chalkboard.

Miley looked up from her half-eaten slice of pizza. The man just refused to stop talking to her, as if he could lull her into a false sense of security with his words. Of course, he'd already done so with her grandma, mother and even Lilly. She looked at him closely – warm, brown eyes, short, dark hair and a chiseled jaw with just a hint of stubble, but unlike everyone else, she wasn't taken with him. He met her eyes and smiled and Miley looked back down at her pizza.

Susan suppressed a sigh, but it was getting harder and harder to deal with Miley's strange attitude towards Richard. He was the first man she'd dated since her husband's death and though she hadn't expected it to be easy, Miley was making things incredibly difficult. Susan considered herself lucky Richard was such an easy-going, understanding and loving man. She watched Miley flick at a pineapple on her hardly touched slice of the pizza Richard had specifically gotten for her and this time couldn't stop the sigh escaping her lips. "Miley."

Miley looked up at her mother, not happy. "What, momma? You only said I had to come down here and eat, not that I had to talk to him."

"Richard, I'm so sorry." Susan tried to apologize, but Richard merely waved her off.

"No, Susan, don't worry about it. I know how hard it can be; my parents divorced when I was young and it wasn't easy to see them start dating again."

Miley looked over at Richard, finally meeting his eyes. "My dad is dead."

Richard swallowed, though he didn't break eye contact. "I know, Miley and I'm very sorry. But don't you think your mom deserves some happiness?"

Miley glanced at her mom across from her, who looked just as uncomfortable as the rest of table at the sudden turn in conversation. She shrugged. "Yes, of course she does."

"Well, then…"

Miley interrupted Richard. "That doesn't mean it has to be with you."

"Miley Ray Stewart, I have half a mind to put you over my knee!" All eyes turned to Grandma Ruby, who looked angrier than anyone else. She'd always protected Miley and probably spoiled her a good amount, but insolence she could not tolerate.

Miley looked sheepish, but nowhere near as happy or excited as normally. "I'm sorry, grandma."

Lilly was seriously considering grabbing Miley's arm and pulling her away before she could get herself into more trouble. It was so unlike her girlfriend to be this rude to someone and though Lilly could understand Miley's problem with her mother having a new boyfriend, she definitely didn't like it. She had seen people treat Miley like dirt for months, throw stones at her and her girlfriend had never as much as said a mean word in return.

Grandma Ruby wasn't done, however. "Don't apologize to me, Miley. Apologize to Richard; he's been nothing but nice to you and you've been a right brat."

"No, Ruby, it's alright." Richard was actually laughing at Miley's words and Lilly worried that would only incense her more. "I always told Miley to tell me how she feels, that hasn't changed. She's always been very…verbal with her feelings."

Miley scoffed, not liking how he refused to be riled up. "That's 'cause you used to torture me."

Richard shook his head, though the smile hadn't vanished from his face. He picked up his slice of pizza, carrying on as if Miley's accusations didn't bother him one bit. "How do you like your new physical therapist?"

"At least **she** won't end up dating my mother," said Miley, back to looking at her slice of pizza. She knew she was probably going to be grounded for days after this, just when she'd escaped that prison of a hospital. Why did Richard have to be here and ruin her homecoming?

Richard just laughed again, obviously amused by the comment Miley hadn't intended as a joke. The adults started a conversation Miley didn't pretend to be interested in and she continued to pick at her pizza without enthusiasm. She could feel Lilly's eyes on her, but didn't want to look at her girlfriend, either. Miley knew Lilly wouldn't be mad at her over this, but she, too, liked Richard. After a few minutes, she sighed and looked at her mother.

"Momma, may I be excused?"

Susan almost wanted to force Miley to stay, but sadness in her daughter's eyes made her decide otherwise. "Fine, go ahead."

Miley didn't even try to get away this time, instead grabbing her crutches and making her way as fast as possible out of the dining room. Just a few seconds later they heard a door slam shut and Susan narrowed her eyes. "Did she just go outside?"

Lilly nodded and Grandma Ruby merely mumbled something incoherent that was surely threatening physical harm to Miley's backside. Susan sighed, but looked across the table at the younger girl. "Lilly…?"

"I'll go," said Lilly, already out of her chairs and on her way to the front door. She just hoped she wasn't too late to stop Miley from climbing something.

**xxx**

It was already dark outside and the air was cold when Lilly opened the front door. She grabbed her jacket from the hook by the door and noticed Miley's still hanging there, too. She grabbed that, as well, and made her way out into the front yard. The only light came from the porch lamp and it was too weak for her to really be able to see anything. It was pitch dark and silent out there and Lilly listened intently for any signs Miley had climbed a tree. She heard nothing and turned to her right, noticing a weak light coming from the barn.

The barn door creaked as Lilly opened it and slipped inside. Miley looked up at the sound and offered her a smile, though it didn't seem as exuberant as usual. Miley was sitting on a hay bale, a lantern by her feet as she watched the sleeping chickens. Lilly noticed the crutches had been thrown haphazardly onto the ground by her feet. She made her way over and sat next to Miley. Lilly handed Miley the jacket she'd brought and the younger girl shrugged it on without comment.

"Your grandma will be mad if you wake the chickens," said Lilly softly, eyes scanning the rows of roosting hens on their perches.

Miley merely shrugged, as if the thought of creating havoc among the chickens left her cold. Lilly looked at her and took her hand. "What's wrong, Road kill?"

"I don't like Richard," said Miley seriously, though her lip had twitched slightly at her nickname.

"I could tell. I know you don't like him dating your mom, but I think she really likes him, Miles."

Miley shook her head. "I didn't like him before, either, when he just came to torture me."

Lilly chuckled slightly. "I don't think physical therapy is torture, Miley."

"It sure felt like it," said Miley, making a face. She stretched her legs out in front of her, staring at them silently for several minutes. "He's hiding something, Lilly; I can feel it."

"Hiding what?" asked Lilly, trying not to sound too skeptical. Richard seemed like a pretty nice guy and she didn't quite understand her girlfriend's intense dislike of him, but no matter what, she'd be on Miley's side.

Miley shrugged and looked at Lilly. "I don't know, but it's something big. He's lying; I just know it."

"Maybe he's just lying about something stupid, or embarrassing? Like…he's been married five times, or he used to be a woman."

Miley gave her an incredulous look and Lilly smiled softly. She leaned forward and kissed Miley gently, trying to convey all the love and affection she felt. When she pulled back, Miley was finally smiling in that totally adorable way of hers, sparkling eyes and all. "Do you wanna go inside and cuddle until I have to go?"

"I had something else in mind," said Miley, grinning now and Lilly rolled her eyes.

"Do you remember how six months ago you were totally innocent?"

Miley nodded. "Yes. And then I found out how much fun sex is, so now it's my favorite thing to do."

"Your favorite? More favorite than climbing trees?" Lilly was trying not to laugh at the serious look on Miley's face, as if the younger girl were really trying to figure out this dilemma.

"I can do both."

"At the same time?"

"That would be hard, but if you want, we can try." Miley sounded completely serious and Lilly finally laughed. She stood and held out her hand to Miley, who took it and let herself be pulled up, as well.

"I think for now we'll just stick to the hayloft, or our bedrooms. Come on, let's go inside." Lilly grabbed the lantern and bent down to hand Miley her crutches.

"Are we going to christen my new bed?" asked Miley, once again sounding completely serious, but the slight twitch of the corner of her mouth gave her away.

Lilly made sure the barn door was locked and followed Miley back to the house. She shook her head, "Keep on dreaming, Road kill."

**xxx**

"So, Miley, have you been on any adventures lately?"

Miley grimaced at the question, wondering why he had to make it sound like she was 12-years-old looking for secret treasures. She just liked to climb trees.

"She's already climbing trees again," said Susan from off to the side, watching the doctor examining her daughter. She was still a little mad at Miley for her treatment of Richard, but seeing her daughter in a doctor's office or hospital always made her uneasy. She'd come too close to losing Miley and some of her annoyance with the girl faded at the thought.

"Climbing trees? I thought we had talked about this, Miley?" Doctor Khauf had intense eyes and a stern voice, but those seemed to have little impact on Miley.

"We did."

He removed the stethoscope from her chest and stood straight with a sigh. "Miley, you are lucky you didn't lose your legs. You need to be more careful."

Miley frowned, not understanding his problem. "I **was** careful."

Dr. Khauf shook his head, but he didn't seem angry. He moved over to the desk to write some notes in Miley's record. Susan shifted nervously. "Is everything okay with her heart, doctor?"

He nodded slowly. "Yes, everything seems normal. But I can't emphasize enough the importance of keeping Miley away from dangerous situations that could stress her heart. With such a serious history of lightning strikes, it's very important we prevent her from being struck again. And that includes not climbing trees."

Susan nodded eagerly, though she'd heard the same advice from many doctors over the months. After Miley took a 20-foot jump off a tree to save Lilly from being struck by lightning she'd needed serious medical care. Not only had she shattered nearly every bone in her legs, but the lightning had struck her instead, stopping her heart until Lilly's ministrations saved her. The ER doctors after Miley's jump had been too busy fixing her to be concerned about the lightning, and the orthopedic doctors had merely worried about her shattered legs, but every cardiologist and family doctor they'd seen since then had been worried about the strikes. Dr. Khauf had come highly recommended and had been in charge of Miley's care for several months now.

"Not all trees get struck by lightning, Doc," said Miley, not liking where this conversation was going. She'd been out of commission for months and now they were trying to take her tree climbing away, too.

"No, just the ones you're in, I reckon." Dr. Khauf chuckled at his own joke, but then his face turned serious again. "Miley, this is no joke. Lightning strikes do severe damage to the body, damage we often can't see. Any more strikes could do be extremely deleterious to your health; it could potentially kill you."

Miley could think of nothing to say.

_to be continued_


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks again to all my awesome reviewers - you're what keeps this story going. I figured I'd update way early today before I fall asleep/forget...so Happy Thanksgiving everyone and enjoy

* * *

**Chapter III**

Miley would have skipped into the kitchen if her crutches didn't prevent it, but for once she didn't mind them so much, as it was Friday. This meant two and a half days to spend with Lilly and Miley smiled at the mere thought of her girlfriend. Her smile faltered, however, as soon as she entered the kitchen. Richard was sitting at the breakfast bar, reading a newspaper as if he were at home. Miley made a face, but nevertheless sat two stools down from him.

Richard looked up from his paper and smiled. "Good morning, Miley."

She mumbled something incoherent in return, but it was apparently good enough for him as he continued. "I made pancakes if you would like some."

"No, thanks," said Miley easily, though her eyes stayed glued to the stack of pancakes on the plate beside him a little too long.

"I know you like pancakes; I saw you devouring the ones Lilly made for you last week," said Richard and put his newspaper down to look at Miley more intensely.

Miley shrugged. "That's 'cause Lilly made them."

"And you think I poisoned these or something?" Even though Richard was obviously joking, there was an edge to his voice that nearly made Miley shiver.

"Did you?"

Richard laughed loudly as if she'd told the best joke ever and Susan chose that moment to enter the kitchen. She looked between her daughter and boyfriend, warily, especially once she noticed the clouded look on Miley's face. Richard shook his head, still chuckling as he turned to a confused Susan.

"Miley thinks I poisoned the pancakes."

Susan sighed and threw her daughter and exasperated look. "Miley, really…"

Miley had to give him credit for his craftiness; he always seemed to get her in trouble with her mom lately and this time she really hadn't said anything. She was trying to decide between appeasing her mom and eating the pancakes or just leaving and climbing the highest tree she could find, when Richard's cell phone saved her from having to make the decision. His eyes narrowed as he looked at the caller ID and Richard gave an apologetic smile to Susan before walking out. They could hear him yelling before the front door closed. Miley briefly wondered if he was involved in the mafia or a gang, something untoward she could use to get rid of him, but a plate stacked with pancakes was suddenly set down in front of her.

Miley looked at the pancakes and then up at her mother. "You want me to get fat, momma?"

"Well, hun, at least if you were fat, I wouldn't have to worry about you climbing trees anymore, now would I?"

Miley grinned. "I'd still find a way."

She took the bottle of Tabasco sauce her mother handed her and doused the pancakes. Susan walked around the breakfast bar and kissed the top of Miley's head tenderly. "I'm sure you would, sweet pea. Now eat your breakfast."

And in that moment, Miley felt like everything was alright with the world. Right until the front door opened and Richard walked back into the house.

**xxx**

"Momma!"

Lilly winced at the volume of Miley's voice as she called for her mother. Miley made her way down the last two steps and looked around, before she noticed someone in the kitchen. She'd really gotten quite quick with the crutches and was in the kitchen in no time, Lilly on her heels.

Susan looked up from where she sat at the table, clipping coupons. She could tell by the look on Miley's face she was not going to like what came next.

"Momma, can I go with Lilly into town?" Miley was bouncing slightly, rocking back and forth on her crutches and Susan briefly wondered how it was she hadn't hurt herself any further since using them.

Remembering the question, she frowned. "This town or Murfreesboro?"

"Murfreesboro."

Susan threw a glance at the clock. "It's a little late, don't you think?"

"No," said Miley simply and Lilly was struck again by how different Miley's interaction with her mother and grandmother was compared to most other teens. There was never any begging, whining or bargaining and though Miley wasn't exactly known for following the rules laid down, she normally knew perfectly well what she could get away with.

"Lilly, what time do you have to be home?"

"Not 'till midnight on the weekend, Mrs. Stewart." Though she figured by now Susan knew her well enough, Lilly still tried to be extra polite and accommodating, perhaps to make up for whatever mischief Miley was sure to cause in her presence later on.

Susan seemed to contemplate for a while, but she knew she couldn't say 'no' to the excited look on Miley's face, especially considering how much time hyperactive Miley had been tied to a wheelchair. She sighed. "Okay, you can go. But I want you home by 11."

"Yes, momma," grinned Miley, already moving to leave.

Lilly hesitated and turned to Susan before following her girlfriend. "Don't worry, I'll try to keep her in check."

Susan smiled knowingly and nodded. "I know you will, Lilly. Have a good time."

By the time Lilly got outside, Miley was already in the passenger seat of the SUV, turning knobs on the console. Lilly hadn't even realized Miley had swiped her keys. She climbed into the driver's seat and tossed Miley the jacket she'd once again neglected to take. Miley grinned at her and Lilly couldn't help but return it. They pulled out of the driveway and down the path towards the main road. Miley was silent for once, staring out into the darkness.

"Are you gonna tell me why you talked me into driving all the way to Murfreesboro tonight?" asked Lilly, waiting for Miley turn and face her.

Miley offered her usual sheepish grin. "Richard is coming over for dinner."

Lilly suppressed a sigh as she shook her head, though her voice still held a hint of amusement. "So, you're just using me then?"

"No," said Miley, sounding almost put out. "I just like you better than Richard."

That was an understatement, Lilly knew, but she wasn't going to bring up Miley's intense dislike for her mother's boyfriend. She reached for Miley's hand and intertwined their fingers. "You better like me more than him; I'm your girlfriend."

Miley laughed and tugged on Lilly's hand. They were silent again for several minutes, while Miley shifted anxiously on her seat, hands searching every crack and crevice and fiddling with every knob. Lilly was about to somehow restrain her, when Miley pulled some glossy brochures from the space between the seat and console. She looked them over curiously and Lilly suddenly felt a tiny pang of dread.

"What's this?" Miley idly flipped through the brochures and then looked up at Lilly.

"Just some college brochures. You gotta start applying in February…mom's pretty much been ordering brochures from every school she's ever heard of," said Lilly, trying to make it sound like it was no big deal. And maybe it really wasn't.

Miley was still browsing through the brochures. "Where are you gonna apply?"

Lilly couldn't read Miley at all, which was very unusual for her. "I don't know, yet. There's still time to decide."

Miley just nodded and tucked the brochures back into the crevice she'd found them in and turned back to look out of the window. Lilly wanted to say something, anything, but she wasn't even sure if something was wrong. They had never talked about what was going to happen when Lilly graduated High School in the spring. Lilly could have offered the customary, empty platitudes about how they'd go away to college together, but she didn't want to do that with Miley when they both knew it was a lie. Miley had already had a hard time with her home schooling because of her hyperactivity and adding the months she'd spent in a hospital or rehab facility, she was now close to a year behind Lilly.

"Are we going to the Chinese place?"

Miley's voice startled Lilly out of her reverie and she chanced a quick glance at her girlfriend. She still could not tell what Miley was feeling and it irked her to feel so clueless. She nodded, trying to force a smile, but she was sure it looked like anything but. "Of course."

Miley did smile, loving and open as always, before she turned back to the window and Lilly had to swallow the lump suddenly in her throat.

**xxx**

"Miley. Miley, stop." Lilly sat up almost abruptly, forcing Miley's wandering hands out from under her shirt. Miley gave her an odd look. They were both breathing heavily and Lilly's heart was thundering, though she wasn't sure whether it was from the heavy make-out session or what she had seen outside the SUV's window.

"I've got ten minutes, Lils," said Miley, not understanding why her girlfriend had stopped her so suddenly, especially when things were just getting heated. She snuck her hands back under Lilly's shirt, her fingertips brushing the delicate skin teasingly. Lilly grabbed Miley's wrists, stopping their ministrations and nodded towards the house.

"Miley, Richard's there."

Miley's head snapped around and she looked out the window at the house. It was mostly dark outside, safe the weak light coming from a half moon, but now the porch light was on and she could easily see Richard leaning against the railing, a mug in his hand. She knew he couldn't see them, they had turned off all the SUV's lights and its windows were tinted, but a shudder ran through her nonetheless. Miley slid off of Lilly's lap.

"I don't like him," said Miley, her voice no longer playful. Lilly sighed, but decided not to get into an argument over how benign someone enjoying the cool night air on the porch really was. She ran her hands through Miley's now wildly out of place hair and straightened the girl's clothes.

Lilly kissed Miley soundly on the lips. "It's almost 11, anyway. You don't wanna make your mom mad."

"But we weren't done," said Miley, sighing heavily as if she had been dealt a huge injustice.

"We've got all day tomorrow to do **whatever** you want, Road kill," said Lilly trying to appease, looking right into Miley's eyes.

Miley grinned mischievously, the interruption all but forgotten. "**Whatever** I want?"

Lilly nodded and leaned forward again to kiss her girlfriend. "Yup. You better make it count, Miles."

"Oh, I will," said Miley seriously, but the sparkle in her eyes gave her away. She was just a hair away from outright grinning. Lilly chuckled. She liked it much better when she could read her girlfriend.

Lilly grabbed the crutches from the floor of the SUV and pushed open the door to the backseat. Miley stole another quick kiss before she swung her legs out of the car, grabbed her crutches and hopped out into the darkness. She threw Lilly one last grin. "I love you, Lilly."

"And I love you back, Road kill," said Lilly softly and watched as Miley made her way towards the front of the house. Lilly climbed back into the driver's seat and drove off as soon as she saw Miley reach the porch.

Miley knew Richard was watching her slow progress towards the house and all the happy feelings from just a minute ago were replaced with the sense of mistrust and enmity she normally felt around him. She reached the bottom of the steps and looked up at him, not trying to hide her dislike. Richard's face, however, was a mask of neutrality. He sipped from his steaming mug as Miley slowly ascended the stairs.

"Where's momma?" asked Miley as she reached the top, her voice suspicious.

Richard didn't meet her eyes, focusing instead on the vast darkness spread out in front of them. "She's inside. She was worried you and Lilly were up to no good out here and asked me to put a stop to it."

He turned his intense eyes on her at the end and Miley narrowed her eyes. "Momma wouldn't do that."

Richard laughed, as if nothing could disturb him. "Wouldn't she?"

"I could tell her you're spying on me," said Miley, not sure whether they were still talking about the same thing.

He nodded, looking back down into his mug, before meeting her eyes again. "You could, but you won't."

Miley was about to respond but he straightened himself and held up a hand. "How about we both pretend we didn't see anything and just go inside?"

Richard didn't wait for an answer. He walked to the front door, leaving Miley no choice but to follow.

_to be continued_


	4. Chapter 4

I'm glad you're all enjoying this story so much; I'm having a lot of fun writing it, too. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, it means a lot to me. I'm fighting my way through finals week right now, so hopefully after next week I'll have some extra time to really get writing on this story. I'd like to update a little more often, but no promises...we'll see how it goes, and how motivating your reviews are ;)

* * *

**Chapter IV **

Miley stared forlornly into her bowl, chin propped up on one hand. With the other hand she was flicking the spoon sticking out of her soup, the rhythmic clinking noise somehow soothing her. It was a lot less soothing to the other occupants at the table, however, and her mother finally smacked her hand, after countless requests to stop went unheard. Miley startled out of her reverie and looked up, finding three pairs of eyes scrutinizing her.

"Miley, stop playing around and eat your soup." Susan's voice was stern and serious. Miley didn't know when her mother had stopped just getting exasperated with her, instead of this sternness that was almost cold and unloving.

"I don't like the soup," said Miley softly, looking back down into the murky green liquid. To her it looked and smelled something like someone had scooped up the chicken poop in the barn and mixed it with pond water.

Susan sighed, frustrated. Miley had always been a headstrong and difficult child, but Richard's presence was taking her to new heights. "Either you eat your soup or you can go upstairs."

Miley wanted to explain that she really didn't like the soup, not just because Richard had made it, but her mother had given her an out she would gladly take. She pushed her chair out, but before she could even get up, her mother stopped her.

"Your cell phone," said Susan, holding out her hand. Miley looked at her with confusion written on her face. "You're not being rewarded for being difficult by getting to go upstairs and calling Lilly. Let me have your phone."

An awkward silence fell over the table while the other two adults watched the interaction. Richard, especially, had his eyes glued to Miley and she shifted under his intense stare. Miley tried hard to focus on her mother's face and not turn to look at him.

"I don't have it."

"Where is it?"

Miley moved again, wanting nothing more than to get away from Richard's stare. "I don't know, momma. I had it earlier and now I don't know."

Susan narrowed her eyes as she watched her daughter. Miley seemed nervous, more than just her regular hyperactivity. "Miley Ray, I swear if you are lying to me…"

Miley's stomach dropped and a sudden, overwhelming need to run as far away as she could and climb the highest tree in sight overtook her. A lump formed in her throat. "I don't lie…"

"Miley…"

She didn't give her mother a chance to finish, instead getting up and rushing out of the dining room. Someone shouted after her to take her crutches, but Miley refused to be deterred from her escape. She made her way towards the stairs, circled around where she couldn't be seen and slipped out the back door. Each step jarred her legs, but she hardly felt the pain through the cloak of misery and anger hanging over her. Her mother, her one constant, the one person who had loved her and stuck by her through it all, had suddenly turned into this cold, distant and not at all loving person. And it was all Richard's fault.

The cold air burned her lungs as she sucked in deep breaths, but it felt good, clearing, somehow. Miley grasped the lowest branch of her favorite tree and with a small amount of effort pulled herself up. She kept climbing until she reached her favorite branch, a thick, long one with the perfect grove to allow her to sit comfortably against the trunk. There were no leaves on the tree now, but with the darkness Miley felt confident no one would be able to see her until sunrise. She leaned back and closed her eyes, ignoring the biting wind nipping at her and her cold, sock-clad feet, wet from the slight frost on the grass.

**xxx**

The only sounds in the kitchen were the occasional clanging of plates and cups as they silently cleared the table and cleaned up. Susan was lost deep in her thoughts, her inner turmoil clearly written on her face. Grandma Ruby was doing some dishes, while Susan put everything away and neither woman spoke while doing her task. It took several minutes before one of them broke the silence.

"Where is Richard?"

"He went outside to take a phone call," said Susan absentmindedly then stopped in the middle of carrying a bottle of Tabasco to the cupboard. "I just don't understand her behavior, mom."

Ruby turned, knowing full well whom Susan was talking about, but decided not to speak, just yet. Susan sighed heavily and set the bottle on the counter. "Miley's always been…her own person, but she's never been downright rude like this. This town shunned her for years and she hardly seemed to care, but as soon as I bring a good man home, she turns into a brat."

Susan ran a hand through her hair in frustration, clearly still struggling with whatever turmoil she had inside. "It's been two years since…I just…I've finally found someone to be happy with again and I don't want to resent Miley for trying to ruin that."

"Oh, honey, I understand that, but Miley…she lost her daddy and to her it's just not right to see you with another man. She doesn't want anyone to replace her daddy."

"Richard's not here to replace Robby Ray."

Ruby sighed, hating the difficult situation they were stuck in. "You and I know that, but Miley, all she has left is us and now Richard is taking you away from her."

Susan shook her head. "I haven't gone anywhere. And even before Richard, Miley spent most her time with Lilly. Should I be upset over that?"

Ruby gave her daughter an incredulous look that clearly said 'don't be stupid'. Susan sighed and turned away to put some things away in the fridge. "I know, I'm being ridiculous. I just wish I could figure out a way to make Miley happy without having to sacrifice my own happiness."

She stopped, staring at the open refrigerator for several moments, before she scoffed, reached inside and turned back to her mother. In her hand was a slightly dinged and scratched cell phone. Susan felt a sudden lump in her throat and shook her head to clear away the inevitable tears. "Miley's cell phone. I know she's never lied to me…I was just…so frustrated with her behavior lately that I said something I shouldn't have."

"Maybe you should talk to her," suggested Ruby, returning to her dishes.

Susan scoffed, though her voice was tinged with sadness. "I bet she's holed up in her room. It'll be mornin' before we catch sight of her."

**xxx**

A voice startled Miley awake. She hadn't even realized she was dozing off, but as soon as she opened her eyes, the cold really hit her. She shivered, now regretting not stopping for shoes or a jacket, but she refused to go back inside. Lilly's thick UCLA hoodie was warm and comfortable and Miley wrapped her arms tightly around herself. It still smelled like Lilly and she smiled.

The voice came again, closer this time, and Miley shifted on her branch to try and look down. The porch light was on, casting shadows along its path, but whoever was talking was out of reach of the light. The voice kept coming closer and now it sounded like the person was standing almost directly under the tree. Miley strained to listen.

"…no, I don't think you know what you're talking about…well, I disagree…"

With a start Miley realized it was Richard, probably talking to someone on his phone. Excitement cursed through her as Miley hoped he would say something incriminating, some explanation for his odd behavior. Something she could use to get her mom and grandma and Lilly to finally believe her about him.

"…look, John, this is not as cut and dry as you think it is…no, you're wrong in fact…I **know** how important she is, yes…no, listen to me, you all chose **me** to do this, because you thought I was the best person for the job, so let me do this my way…no, the mother has nothing to do with this…"

Richard was silent for several moments, likely being yelled at by whoever was on the other end of the line. Miley pushed herself farther back on the branch, her hands suddenly shaking. The branch creaked under her weight.

"…she is fine…how about you just do what I asked and let me worry about the girl? I gotta go now. Bye John." Richard flipped his phone shut audibly and Miley held her breath, as if he could hear or see her up high in the tree. "You know, Miley, it's not very nice to listen in on other people's conversations."

A cold chill settled inside of Miley, a panic she hadn't felt in a long time. Somehow she just knew Richard had been talking about her. She thought about just remaining silent, pretending like she wasn't there, but somehow she knew Richard would know regardless. She took a deep breath to try and steady her voice. "Well, I was here first, so it was you who interrupted my solitude."

Richard chuckled, his aloofness irking Miley further. "You're right, Miley. I'm sorry." He was silent for several minutes and Miley almost thought he'd left, when he spoke again. "It's pretty cold out here; maybe you should come inside."

"I think I'll just stay," said Miley, the tree providing her with a sense of security.

"I'm sure your mom would like it if you came inside."

Miley frowned at the mention of the mother whom she felt so betrayed by. Sure, she was cold and hungry, but she'd stay out here all night if the alternative was to make nice with Richard to get back in her mom's good graces. So she said nothing, hoping Richard would take the hint and leave. He did not.

"Alright, Miley, you leave me no choice."

Miley wondered briefly whether he would set the tree on fire or cut it down to force her off, but instead she heard his footsteps retreat across the frozen grass and onto the porch. The front door opened and closed and a few minutes passed before it opened again. Miley craned her neck to look at the house and knew as soon as she saw her mother standing on the porch beside Richard she was in trouble, again.

"Miley, off the tree **now**." Susan had barely come to a realization about Miley's behavior, when the girl did something else absolutely infuriating. She had no idea how they hadn't heard Miley leave the house.

Perhaps she could stay in the tree forever, Miley wondered, not keen on facing her angry mother. She was already in trouble anyway, what more could possibly happen? And what about creepy Richard down there, waiting for her, to do **something** to her just as he'd discussed with his buddy on the phone. Miley remained silent, not moving on her branch in the tree.

Despite Richard's calm voice telling her to go easy on the girl, Susan had a hard time trying to keep her anger at bay. Miley had always been reckless and exhausting, but she'd always listened when things got serious. Now she wasn't even moving an inch. Susan knew she had to bring out the big guns. "Alright, have it your way. Right now, no seeing or talking to Lilly for a week. And if you don't come down in the next five seconds, I will extend that to a month."

The thought of not getting to see her girlfriend formed a heavy clump of despair in Miley's heart. The realization her mother suddenly seemed to hate her only expanded the clump, growing it until it sat so heavily in Miley's insides she thought the branch under her would surely break and send her crashing to the earth underneath. She didn't want to come down, didn't want to be near Richard who couldn't be trusted and didn't want to face her mom who didn't believe her.

It was the slow counting that broke her out of her gloom and no matter how much she wanted to fight against it, Miley knew she was going to come down. Her mother reached four, however, before Miley moved. Her arms and legs were stiff from the cold and she could hardly clamp her hands around the branch as she lowered herself down. Without leaves the bare tree hardly offered a challenge as she descended and in no time Miley stood underneath it, dreading her return to the house. Her hands shook from the cold, but at least her legs were too numb to feel any pain as she walked towards the porch.

"Richard, can you help her please?" Susan motioned at Miley, who was without crutches and clearly half-popsicle.

"I'm fine," Miley ground out and she sounded so unlike herself it hurt Susan to hear. Miley didn't want Richard anywhere near her. She just wanted her mom to help her, to wrap her arms around Miley and reassure her until everything was okay again. Miley almost wanted to cry, but she never cried and the last time she did had been with Lilly in that tree and the mere thought of her girlfriend nearly made the tears spill over.

Susan watched Miley stalk past her and into the house without an ounce of exuberance, mischief or excitement in her. She couldn't remember a time when Miley didn't at least have a sparkle in her eyes or a grin waiting to burst forth, even when being grounded or scolded. She had no idea what to do.

"Miley, go and take a hot shower, you're frozen solid, hun. When you're done, come downstairs and I will get you some food," said Susan, her voice no longer angry. How could she be when she was looking at the pure misery that was her daughter at that moment? She even tried to brush a hand across the top of Miley's head, but the girl was already moving away from her and up the stairs.

It was nearly two hours later when Susan realized she'd been sitting in an empty kitchen for a while, waiting with an untouched Tobasco-and-cheese sandwich.

_to be continued  
_


	5. Chapter 5

Thank you all for reviewing and reading this story. I know the last part was kind of sad, but I promise they won't all be like that. Oh and there's Liley in this, of course - Gotta keep my readers happy! ;)

* * *

**Chapter V**

Lilly pulled into the parking space, noticing that there were more cars than usual. She hopped out of the SUV and hurried towards the building across the street. It had gotten even colder over the past few days and many people predicted the first snowfall wasn't far off now. Lilly had seen snow only once in her life, on a skiing trip with her parents when she was 12, so though most of her dreaded the cold, part of her was looking forward to a dusting of snow. Christmas was just around the corner and she was now halfway done with her Senior Year in High School. Life was good, except for one thing – she hadn't seen Miley in days.

The door to the diner jingled when she entered and a blast of warm air greeted her immediately. Lilly rubbed her frozen hands together and unzipped her jacket to let in the warm air. The diner was busier than she had seen it in a long time and she wondered if the cold weather was driving Crowley Corner's residents indoors. Those that could not stay away from the gossip and 'action' of the small town now gathered here. There were a few empty stools along the bar and Lilly headed straight for the closest one, taking a seat. She didn't look around, but could almost feel the pair of eyes watching her. She had to suppress a grin.

A waitress appeared and Lilly looked up into the familiar face, trying to keep her face neutral. The woman gave her an exasperated look. "Lilly…"

Before she could continue, however, Lilly held up her hands. "I'm just here to order food, Mrs. Stewart, I swear. I'll even get it to go."

Susan sighed, close to regretting her punishment of Miley for the exhaustion she had caused herself with it, but nodded at last. "Fine, you may order, but no talking to Miley." She took Lilly's order and was about to leave, when she seemed to think and stopped. "No moving, either. Sit right here until I come back with your food."

Lilly nodded and smiled, the perfect picture of innocence. As soon as Susan left, the angelic smile dropped from her face. She still had no idea what Miley had done to warrant such austere measures. She'd received a text from Miley's phone several days ago, a very abrupt and not at all informative 'Miley's grounded. No girlfriend for a week. Sorry Lilly, Mrs. Stewart'. And unlike previous failed attempts at confining Miley to her punishment, Lilly really had not heard nor seen from her girlfriend in those days. Today she'd decided she had had enough. It was one thing to punish Miley for whatever ridiculous prank she had pulled, but Lilly was being punished, too, and that just wasn't fair.

A quick glance left and right told her Susan was still in the back and Lilly moved just the slightest bit to swivel her chair around. Her eyes immediately went to the booth in the far back. Miley was actually doing homework for once, or at least trying to appear that she was, a customary glass of Coke and plate of fries sitting off to the side. Her eyes were focused intently on her book, as if she really was student of the year, but once she felt Lilly's eyes on her, Miley looked up.

There was an inherent sadness on her face that almost worried Lilly, but as soon as their eyes met, a face-splitting grin erupted on Miley's face. Lilly couldn't help but return it and so they sat, grinning at each other like love-stricken fools across the diner. Susan found them just like that when she returned a moment later. Her first reaction was to be angry, but when she saw that smile on Miley's face, it stopped her cold. That happy, exuberant smile she had spent days trying to force onto her daughter's face to no avail. No amount of bribing, cajoling, begging or threatening had gotten Miley to display just a hint of her usual hyperactive, mischievous and exuberant self, but one look from Lilly and there was her Miley.

At that moment Susan just wanted to call off the punishment, just to have Miley back to her old self, but knew it would only cause problems later on. She sighed. But maybe punishment didn't mean she couldn't be lenient for a few minutes. She stood behind the bar in front of Lilly and cleared her throat, noticing as soon as she'd come into view, Miley's eyes had snapped back to her book. Lilly turned, once again wearing that innocent smile.

"Wow, these chairs need tightening or something. It's like they swivel on their own," said Lilly, sounding almost believable if Susan didn't know better.

She shook her head. "Go sit with Miley until your food comes. But Lilly," she had to interrupt the girl who was already moving, "sit across from her. She's still grounded."

Lilly smiled and was already gone, sliding into the booth across from Miley, who was still deeply engrossed in her book. "Hey there, beautiful."

Miley grinned and looked up at her girlfriend, but suddenly grew worried. "Lils, I don't think I'm allowed to talk to you. I'm grounded."

"I'm here with permission. You've got me for however long it takes Don to make my Grilled Cheese."

Miley laughed, knowing if it really was Don making Lilly's food, they'd have a while. She pushed the book away from her and pulled the untouched plate of fries closer. She hadn't been very hungry, not since the night of the grounding really, but suddenly the fries looked delicious. She dumped a healthy amount of hot sauce on top of them while Lilly watched.

"So, Road kill, what'd you do this time?"

"Climbed a tree," said Miley with a shrug, not really keen to rehash what had gotten her into this predicament. "Momma's really mad this time."

Lilly noticed Miley's usual aloofness was missing from the second statement and narrowed her eyes. It did seem like a severe punishment for something Miley did without permission all the time and remembering the sadness she had seen in her girlfriend's eyes, she wondered if something else wasn't going on. "She can't be **that** mad, Miles. She did let me come over here for a few minutes."

Miley shrugged. "It's cause of Richard. He's up to something and no one believes me. I don't think momma still wants me around."

Lilly reached across the table and grabbed both of Miley's hands, forcing their eyes to meet. "Miley, your mom loves you a whole lot, okay? I was there with her when you were in the hospital and unconscious and believe me, she'll **always** want you around. We're gonna figure this Richard thing out, okay?"

"You're good at knowing what to say," said Miley, smiling. Lilly laughed.

"It's my job. So, how about when your prison sentence is over, you and me, we go on a date?"

"Where?"

"Somewhere nice," grinned Lilly, already trying to think of places.

"I don't have to wear a fancy dress, do I?" asked Miley slightly apprehensive.

Lilly shook her head, knowing it would be foolish to consider a date spot where there was no chance of getting dirty. "No, but I bet you'd look gorgeous in a fancy dress."

"Oh, she does. I've got some pictures of her at her grandma's 65th birthday; remind me to show them to you next time, Lilly." Susan interrupted them by setting Lilly's food down in front of her, though she seemed fine with them talking and was smiling.

Lilly stood reluctantly, but didn't want to anger Susan when she had been somewhat accommodating. "Thanks, Mrs. Stewart, I can't wait to see those pictures. Road kill, be good, I'm gonna see you next week, right?"

Miley smirked - she just couldn't help it when someone told her to 'be good'. Susan noted her daughter's happier disposition and just wanted it to stay that way, but she couldn't just give in and let Miley get away with bad behavior. She settled on a compromise. "Lilly, why don't you come over Saturday for dinner, if you don't have any plans. We're having a movie night."

"I'm grounded until Monday," said Miley, drawing two incredulous looks.

Susan shook her head. "Miley Ray, I swear," she sighed and turned to Lilly, "Lilly, just come over on Saturday."

Lilly nodded, happy she wouldn't have to go into Miley withdrawal and for the chance to really talk to her girlfriend about this whole Richard thing. She zipped up her jacket and went to grab her food, when she darted forward and planted a much too quick kiss on Miley's lips. She picked up her box of food and turned to Susan with her well-perfected smile of innocence. "Wow, the floor is really slippery right here."

Susan almost wanted to laugh, but tried to keep a stern face. Lilly said her goodbyes and left. Miley sighed heavily and looked out the window, but the silly grin on her face told Susan she was daydreaming. She smiled, just happy Miley was no longer the pitiful thing she had been before, but nevertheless pointed at the forgotten book.

"Finish your homework, hun, you can daydream later. I'll get you some more fries." Susan took Miley's plate and before she left, brushed a hand across her daughter's hair. As she walked away she realized it was the first time she had gotten to do so in days.

**xxx**

The delicious smell of fresh-baked cookies greeted Lilly when she entered the door and she immediately knew something was up. Flinging the door shut, she dropped her backpack in the hallway and made her way into the kitchen. Her mother was there to greet her, wearing a smile Lilly found suspicious.

"Hi honey, how was school?"

Lilly shrugged and gave a noncommittal groan that ought to indicate to her mother not to ask further questions. She'd be happy just to survive the upcoming week of tests teachers had invented just to spoil the beginning of winter break. Lilly walked into the kitchen, going straight for the tray of cookies cooling on the counter. She stole one and took a bite, immediately feeling better.

She turned to her mom, eyebrow raised. "So mom, are you gonna tell me what's up?"

"What do you mean?" asked Heather innocently, stacking some papers on the kitchen table.

Lilly gestured at the cookies. "You don't like to cook, so something bad has or will happen if you're buttering me up."

"Please, I don't have to bribe my own daughter," said Heather, laughing, but seeing Lilly's continued incredulity, she rolled her eyes. "Fine, I want to talk to you about something. Come sit down."

Lilly had a bad feeling, but sat opposite her mother. Heather laid out a few brochures and letters on the table in front of them. Lilly's stomach dropped as soon as she realized what they were – college applications.

"Your father and I just thought that it was about time you put some real thought into which schools to apply to."

"Mom, I…"

Heather interrupted her. "No, I know you don't have to make a decision just yet, but you do need to pick out some schools to apply to. I've picked up a few brochures of the schools I think you'd like."

Lilly glanced down at the colorful pamphlets, with their smiling students and beautiful scenery. She shook her head. "Mom, you don't honestly think I can get into Stanford, do you? And I told you, I'm applying to Middle Tennessee State."

Heather sighed. "It doesn't have to be Stanford, honey. You always wanted to go to UCLA, whatever happened to that? I'm sure Middle Tennessee is a good school, but it's no UCLA."

"So you only want me to apply to great schools? What if I apply to Vanderbilt then, will that make you happy?"

"Lilly, I don't want you to make me or your father happy with this, but honestly, you don't even like Tennessee, why would you want to go to school here?"

Lilly shrugged and crossed her arms, defensive now. "I like Tennessee just fine."

Heather inclined her head, her voice soft when she spoke. "You like **Miley** just fine, I think. Tennessee isn't what this is about."

"So what? Miley is my girlfriend and I love her; what's so wrong about going to a school nearby?"

"Oh honey, you know your father and I love Miley, we think she is great, but you can't plan your whole future around a girl you've been dating for a few months."

"What if Miley is my future?"

Heather scoffed. "Come on now, don't be melodramatic. You have to go to college, Lilly. Even your brother is getting a college education; there is no way you're getting out of it."

"I never said I wasn't gonna go, I just said I was gonna go here," said Lilly, trying not to sound angry.

"Why don't you think about it some?"

"I **have** thought about it, mom. And I **think** I want to go here. Look, it'd even be cheaper. I could live at home and by the time I enroll I'd get in-state tuition, which I can't get in California anymore."

Heather sighed, brushing a hand across the glossy Stanford brochure. "Well, regardless we want you to apply to a few schools that are not in Tennessee, okay? It doesn't have to be Stanford, or UCLA, but something that isn't here."

"Shouldn't it be my choice where I apply?" asked Lilly, unable to contain her annoyance now.

"Not if you want us to pay. Here you go, take these up to your room." Heather handed Lilly a stack of brochures and stood, effectively ending the conversation. Lilly stalked off, too mad to even consider stealing another conciliatory cookie.

_to be continued_


	6. Chapter 6

Everyone seems to really hate Richard, so I guess Im doing my job ;) I'm trying to keep the update regular, but I'm going out of the country for Christmas so I may not get as much time to write. I'll still try for a nice Xmas present for you all though ;)

* * *

**Chapter VI**

"Miley, stop fidgeting." Lilly tried to be as quiet as possible so as not to alert the two adults sitting on the sofa to the left of them. Miley stretched across the loveseat they occupied like a cat and turned over so she was face down. Her hip now bumped into Lilly's abdomen and just thinking about how close their respective nether regions were to one another made her blush. Thankfully it was dark in the room.

"This movie is boring," mumbled Miley into the cushion, her face pressed against the side of the loveseat, while she lay stretched across Lilly's lap.

"We're like barely fifteen minutes in; how can you already be bored?" asked Lilly incredulously, then remember who she was talking to. The only times Miley had ever sat through an entire movie had been during her hospital and home confinement when she absolutely couldn't walk. And even then they'd taken multiple breaks in between.

"I wanna go outside," said Miley, her voice muffled through the cushion.

"It's freezing cold and raining." Lilly, who had actually wanted to see the movie, tried to appease Miley while also keeping her eyes trained on the TV.

Miley shifted again, turning her head slightly so she could look at her girlfriend. "Well, that's better than being in here, with Richard."

Lilly rolled her eyes, risking a quick glance at the sofa, where Susan and Richard sat, deeply engrossed in the movie. Lilly didn't know how to convince Miley Richard wasn't evil incarnate, but she could tell the man was trying his best. He even sat with a large gap between Susan and him, just so Miley didn't have to see her mother getting close to another man. She wondered briefly what Miley would be doing if Susan hadn't invited Lilly over for movie night. Probably something to extend her punishment another week, Lilly decided.

Not receiving a response to her statement, Miley turned again, sideways this time, digging her pointy hip into a very sensitive place. Lilly jumped, depositing Miley onto the ground. The thud with which she hit the ground was loud enough for the adults to hear and someone paused the movie and flipped on a light. Susan leaned forward to look at her daughter on the ground, the look on her face one Lilly had dubbed the 'Miley look', for all the times Susan wore it when Miley did something she shouldn't.

"Miley, what are you doing?" Susan sounded almost like she was sighing, but in all honesty she was glad Miley was being her silly, accident-prone self instead of the moping heap of misery she had been without Lilly.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Stewart, Miley won't stop fidgeting and she hit a nerve or something. You know how bony she is."

Miley snorted, knowing full well what nerve she had hit. Unconcerned by her position on the ground, she stretched out farther, enjoying the sliding motion she achieved on the hardwood floor.

Susan exhaled heavily and shook her head. "Miley, can we continue now or are you going to stay down there?"

Miley turned herself in a 360-degree circle on the floor, her face contemplative. Susan suppressed a groan and rubbed a hand across her face. Miley had been so much easier to deal with when she'd had an older brother and father to run around and climb trees with and Susan wished for the umpteenth time her daughter would get along with Richard. He liked the outdoors just as much and had even mentioned to her he'd love to take Miley out for some hiking or climbing.

Miley was still sliding around on the floor, grinning while she made herself dizzy. Susan threw a pillow at her, hitting her square in the face. "Please go make some popcorn or something, Miley. You are driving me insane. Lilly, go with her and keep her indoors, please?"

Lilly nodded and stood, nudging a still floor-bound Miley with her foot. Miley laughed and let herself be pulled up. She had no desire to use her dreaded crutches and instead wrapped her arms around Lilly's shoulders from behind. Lilly shook her head, but couldn't deny her girlfriend anything. Miley immediately jumped on her back to be carried into the kitchen. They'd done this a lot back when Miley really couldn't walk and Lilly found it actually seemed to calm her girlfriend down.

Miley rested her head on Lilly's shoulder, exhaling deeply as she held onto her girlfriend. Lilly could feel Miley's heart racing against her back. She carried Miley into the kitchen and deposited her on the kitchen counter, while she went to look for the popcorn. Miley watched intently while Lilly went through the pantry and programmed the microwave. Lilly felt the eyes on her, but finished her task before she returned to her girlfriend. She stood between Miley's legs and earned a brilliant smile.

"Lilly, I think you ground me," said Miley, a serious look on her face now.

"At least something does, Road kill." Lilly laughed, but Miley still looked serious and bit her lip, her telltale sign that she was struggling with something. Lilly inclined her head and put her hands on Miley's knees. "What's up, Miles?"

Miley continued to bite her lip, but eventually met Lilly's eyes. "I don't know what I'm gonna do when you leave."

"When I leave? Miles, you're only grounded for two more days. Just don't do anything else to piss off your mom, okay?"

Miley shook her head, the issue pressing on her much more serious. "No, when you leave for good."

Lilly frowned, wondering whether Miley had suddenly acquired psychic powers that could foresee something she herself did not yet know. "Why would I leave for good?"

"When you go away to college and I'll still be here."

"I…Miley…" Lilly struggled with what to say, wholly unprepared to have this discussion when she thought they'd just continue to dance around it for the next few months. She shook her head, trying to clear it. Miley looked so sad right there in front of her it almost hurt Lilly to see. "I'm never gonna go away, Miley."

Miley looked into Lilly's blue eyes. "Promise?"

Lilly knew she couldn't promise something like that, knew that what she had meant by 'never going away' was probably leagues different from what Miley took it to mean, but how could she look into those eyes and not do whatever was necessary to make them sparkle? "I promise."

Miley smiled and Lilly reciprocated, though the sudden heaviness inside of her made her feel like a traitor. Miley wrapped her arms around Lilly's neck and pulled her even closer. Their lips met, heated and explosive, but always slow and sensual and so completely consuming. Lilly snuck her arms around Miley's waist and they melted together into one. By the time Miley's tongue brushed against hers, Lilly had already forgotten about her precarious promise.

**xxx**

Miley was just trying to maneuver the door open while holding onto her crutches, when someone exited the store and held the door for her. She smiled a 'thanks' and hurried inside to escape the freezing winter air. Her mother was likely watching to ensure she went inside and Miley knew it wouldn't do to dawdle. A blast of warm air and several stares greeted her, but she ignored them as usual and made her way towards the back. People no longer seemed terrified of her and now the only ones to move away were those trying to make room for her to get through. Crowley Corners hadn't changed overnight, but the townspeople seemed to have at least accepted she was not evil incarnate, though few talked to her and even fewer, if any, sought her ought. Miley didn't mind, as long as she had her mom and grandma and Lilly.

The sole general store in Crowley Corners was right out of some 1950's picture book, complete with a curmudgeonly, though secretly very genial, shopkeeper. The shop had updated its inventory over the years, but it certainly could not compare with a big city store of any size, and Crowley's residents liked it that way. The store had that country feel they preferred and any change would likely not go over well.

Miley stopped in the candy aisle, eyes scanning the rows of colorful packages. Though she was still grounded, her mom had reluctantly agreed to take Miley along on her errand run and was even letting Miley pick out one thing for herself.

The choice was tough and Miley knew she better hurry before her mom ended up waiting for her. She rocked back and forth on her crutches, a habit she had developed to stop the antsy feeling in her legs. Someone came into the aisle and Miley looked up when that person actually spoke to her.

"You any safer on those things than you were in the wheelchair?"

Miley looked at George, the shopkeeper, and gave him a toothy grin. "The getaway is quicker."

George shook his head, but he was chuckling. "Well, stay away from my displays, ya hear?"

Miley could only grin sheepishly, remembering the time a few months ago when she'd bumped one of his artfully arranged displays of cereal boxes with her wheelchair. The resulting mess had been news enough to get nearly the whole of Crowley Corners coming out to see. George had pretended to be furious, but Miley had noticed him holding in his laughter, too. Even before her stunt on the lightning tree and the town's change of heart about her, George had always been at least civil towards her, probably owing to the fact he had been a good friend of her dad's before he passed away.

Now George motioned for her to follow him toward the front of the store. "I got somethin' ta show ya. I think you'll like it."

Miley, never one to pass up a mystery, followed George to the front. He went behind the counter, rummaging underneath and eventually set three small items in front of her. Miley's eyes widened with glee as she stared at the objects.

"Tabasco lollipops?" Her face was split by an ear-to-ear grin and George could only shake his head at her excitement over some novelty candy no one else in town would dare come near.

"Tabasco cinnamon. I have no idea if they're any good, since I refuse to put anything that nasty in my mouth, but I thought you might enjoy them."

Miley, head already spinning with images of herself eating the lollipops, reached for the crumpled up bills she had stuffed into her pocket. Thankfully the part of her not daydreaming about Tabasco lollipops awoke, reminding her of something. "Oh, mama told me to get some laundry soap. I'll be in trouble if I forget."

Before she had a chance to turn around, George was already out from behind his counter. "You stay here, I'll go grab it. I don't want you knocking over anything else in my store."

Miley grinned and waited, eyes straying every so often to the tantalizing lollipops still sitting on the counter. Her mouth was watering just thinking about putting one in her mouth. A voice interrupted her thoughts and she turned, surprised at whom she saw.

"Hello, Miley."

"Dr. Khauf, I didn't know you lived in Crowley," said Miley, looking at the source for a lot of her misery in the past few months. She knew that wasn't entirely fair; he wasn't a bad doctor and it certainly wasn't his fault she'd jumped off a tree, but all the restrictions he kept putting on her were driving her mad.

She studied him now, away from their normal setting, and he looked just the same as always. He was tall, but in decent shape, with dark blonde hair graying at the temples and washed-out green eyes. As always, Dr. Khauf was wearing a pastel-colored shirt and tie with slacks, likely picked out by a professional.

He smiled at her, his teeth gleaming in the artificial light. "Oh no, no, but I am considering it. It's very peaceful out here, and not at all a long drive to Murfreesboro."

Miley nodded, not caring much about where he lived or drove to and risked another glance at her lollipops, just to ensure their continued safety. Dr. Khauf, however, wasn't giving up. "I see you're using the crutches, good. I was worried you'd just throw them to the wind and climb the nearest tree."

Miley shrugged. "I did; I was caught."

Dr. Khauf blinked, clearly unable to tell whether she was joking or not, but eventually decided she must be and laughed. "You're really something, Miley, you know that? You must drive your poor mother insane."

Before Miley could comment, George returned with her laundry soap, ready to ring up her purchase. Dr. Khauf waved off, already turning towards the exit. "It was nice seeing you, Miley; perhaps soon we'll be neighbors." He laughed at his own joke and raised a hand. "Say 'hi' to your mother for me. Bye, Miley."

Miley managed a half-hearted wave goodbye, before she turned her attention back to George and her goodies. The bell over the door jingled, indicating the doctor had left the store. George rang up her purchase and took the crumpled bills from her. "What a funny bird. You know him?"

"Yeah, he's my doctor," said Miley absentmindedly, already unwrapping one of her lollipops.

George offered to carry the soap out to the truck in light of her current predicament and she followed him out of the store. She sat in the truck and waited for her mom, enjoying the delicious combination of Tabasco sauce and cinnamon exploding in her mouth, when she realized Dr. Khauf had left the store without looking at or buying a single thing.

**xxx**

Lilly leaned back in her plastic seat with a sigh, checking her cell phone for the time. Someone ran past her, jostling her elbow and she frowned. The noise level was definitely starting to get to her. Poppy's was the best burger joint not only in Murfreesboro, but probably the entire state, and as a result it was always packed with High Schoolers and college kids. During the warm months, there was a huge patio to sit outside, but now in the winter everyone was crowded into the restaurant's interior, packed into tacky and uncomfortable plastic chairs and booths. The smell of grease hung in the air and though the burgers were absolutely delicious, Lilly preferred eating them either outside or at home.

"Yo, Lilster, you thinking about your girl again?"

Lilly looked at Oliver across from her and rolled her eyes. Half his face was smeared with ketchup and mustard while he laughed at her. Lilly didn't know how Sarah, his girlfriend currently seated beside him, wasn't constantly wearing a look of utter embarrassment.

"I'm thinking about how much longer it can possibly take you to finish your food," she responded, flicking a ketchup packet at him. He was already stuffing his mouth again and therefore merely shrugged, unperturbed by her obvious desire to leave.

She hadn't really wanted to come in the first place, but had been won over by the celebratory spirit of the end of the semester. All three of them had taken their last test today and over two weeks of freedom loomed ahead, so Oliver and Sarah had talked Lilly into driving them all to Murfreesboro for some of Poppy's burgers. They'd even told her to invite Miley, but her girlfriend was stuck at home under Grandma Ruby's strict schooling and would not be granted her freedom for another hour.

At least Oliver seemed close to being done with his burger. Lilly played with some leftover fries, watching the multitude of customers come in and out, when something caught her eye. The restaurant wasn't huge, but was divided into two sections by a half-wall painted in obnoxious colors. On the other side of the restaurant Lilly noticed someone that looked an awful lot like Richard, sitting at a table across from a young, pretty woman. They looked to be engaged in a heated argument, the woman leaning across the table with her finger pointing at Richard. He, too, looked furious, with drawn eyebrows and a red face. Lilly realized she had never really seen him angry before, despite all the things Miley had said and done and wondered who this woman could be to get him so heated.

Sarah followed her gaze. "Hey, isn't that the guy dating Mrs. Stewart?"

"Yeah." Lilly nodded absentmindedly, unable to draw her eyes away from Richard and his female companion.

"Who's that woman he's with? They look angry."

Lilly wanted to roll her eyes; Sarah had a tendency to be nosy, but she couldn't exactly throw stones when she herself was watching the two adults. "I don't know."

"Maybe he's cheating," said Sarah, eager for any bit of gossip she could spread around town.

Lilly didn't think Richard was a cheater, but his presence here, with this woman, was suspicious. She remembered him clearly saying last night at the Stewarts' he had to go to Nashville today for business. Miley had made some sort of comment about a travelling physical therapist, but Lilly had ignored it, as she did most of her girlfriend's comments concerning Richard. She didn't think she would tell Miley about this, though, knowing it would only add fuel to the fire.

"Are we gonna leave?" Oliver's whine pulled Lilly from her reverie and she turned her attention back to her two friends. She wanted to say something about having only been waiting for him, but she was still too confused about seeing Richard to come up with anything.

She pushed her chair back and stood. "Let's go. I gotta get a milkshake and burger first though."

Oliver made a face, clearly not happy to have to wait now that he was ready. "Are you serious? You **just** ate, fatty."

Lilly rolled her eyes. "For Miley, dumbass. You guys can wait outside if you want, I won't be long."

"You're such a good girlfriend," said Sarah sincerely, probably dreaming of a day when her own significant other started thinking about someone other than himself.

Lilly left them to go to the counter and ordered her food. She moved off to the side to wait for her order, but when she turned, Richard was right in front of her. Lilly took a step back, her heart suddenly pounding and for a moment Miley's crazy conspiracy theories invaded her mind. Then Richard smiled at her and Lilly exhaled, feeling stupid.

"Hey there, Lilly. I didn't know you liked this place."

"Best burgers in Tennessee, right? Some friends and I just came to celebrate the beginning of winter break." Lilly felt nervous for some reason, but attributed it to meeting someone she knew but didn't have much interaction with in a new setting.

Richard pointed towards the counter. "You bringing some back for Miley?" He chuckled when Lilly nodded. "That's gotta be a welcome relief for her after suffering through schoolwork all morning."

The woman Lilly had seen with him earlier suddenly stepped into her view and Richard turned to her. She was even prettier up close, with light brown hair, brilliant blue eyes and porcelain skin. Her outfit was impeccable and very professional. It made Lilly feel shabby somehow. The woman scrutinized Lilly with an intense look.

"Oh, Lilly, this is my sister, Mandy. Mandy, this is Lilly, Miley's girlfriend," said Richard, smiling easily. The woman's demeanor changed so abruptly Lilly almost wondered if she'd imagined the icy stare. Mandy smiled and held out her hand for Lilly to shake. Lilly returned the smile and handshake easily.

"I didn't know you had a sister," said Lilly before she could stop herself. She hadn't meant to sound so skeptical.

"Oh, he's a horrible brother, I know; I hardly get to see him now he's dating Susan. Well, it was nice to meet you, Lilly. Hopefully I can meet Miley sometime soon, as well; Richard's told me so much about her," said Mandy, practically gushing with sincerity.

Lilly said 'goodbye' with as much enthusiasm as she could muster and watched Richard and his sister leaving the restaurant. They called her number almost right after and she grabbed Miley's food, now more ready to leave than ever. But all she could think about on her walk back to her car, was that she had never seen a brother and sister look less alike than those two.

_to be continued  
_


	7. Chapter 7

Merry Christmas everyone! Enjoy...

* * *

**Chapter VII**

The air smelled of snow, but they hadn't had a white Christmas in years and no one was expecting this year to be any different. It was nevertheless jarringly cold and the grass and dirt underfoot were stiff from the freeze that wouldn't let up. The sun was just dipping below the horizon, its remaining light muddled and blocked by a haze of grey clouds. But the mood inside the car was festive, with Christmas music blaring from the speakers and everyone's mind on the upcoming feast. Because the old truck had no heater and no backseat, Richard had offered to drive and for once not even Miley had complained.

It was a short drive to their destination and before long Richard pulled into the driveway of the largest house in Crowley Corners. Miley was, as always, the first one out of the car and racing towards the front door. Susan walked around to the trunk to gather their things, shouting after her daughter.

"Miley, come help carry some of this."

"I can't, Momma, I'm crippled," yelled Miley, bouncing her crutches on the ground for emphasis.

Susan rolled her eyes, though had to concede. Watching Miley flit across the frozen grass and driveway, however, instilled some worry in her. "Well, go slow so you don't become more crippled."

Miley grinned, but dutifully slowed her pace. It was Christmas, after all. She rang the doorbell and the door was opened almost immediately. Lilly had practically been waiting by the front door, when she wasn't being forced into kitchen slave labor by her mom, and was just as excited as Miley to see her girlfriend.

It was cold outside and Miley's cheeks and nose were red, but she was grinning brightly. She wore a blue beanie on her head, her long, wavy hair falling around her shoulders and Lilly thought she looked absolutely adorable. Miley made her way up the few front steps and leaned forward on her crutches until her lips met Lilly's.

"Miley, not in the doorway, it's freezing out here."

Both girls turned to see Susan right behind her daughter, carrying several containers, Richard and Grandma Ruby following her. Lilly moved back sheepishly and let them enter. The Truscott's home was tastefully decorated with Christmas décor, including a huge tree in a corner of the living room. Lilly's mother, Heather Truscott, emerge from the kitchen to greet her guests.

"Merry Christmas, everyone. Susan, I'm glad you could make it. Let's get everything in the kitchen. Oh, Richard, Alan is out in the garage, doing God knows what." Heather took the bags he was carrying, practically telling him to go find her husband, while the three women went into the kitchen.

Lilly nodded towards the staircase, to tell Miley to go up to her room. Miley grinned and nodded, not hesitating to escape from potential work. Lilly took one of her crutches so she could climb the staircase more easily and went to poke her head into the kitchen. Grandma Ruby was sitting down at the table, while Susan and her own mom were standing by the counter talking. She wasn't sure when exactly their two mothers had become friends, but she was definitely happy about it, since it meant more time spent with Miley.

"Mom, you don't need us for anything, right? Miley and I are gonna go upstairs," said Lilly, hoping she was done cutting and slicing for the night.

Heather and Susan glanced at each other, than all-knowing motherly smirk on their faces, before Heather turned to her daughter. "No, honey, you guys can go upstairs. But leave the door open."

Lilly wanted to roll her eyes at her mother's insinuation, but considering the woman was right, she let it be. Before she could follow Miley, however, Susan stopped her. "Oh, Lilly, Miley's got some homework to do. She said she'd ask to use your computer, but I'm sure it will slip her mind, so if you could be so kind and take it upstairs for her."

Susan pointed at the bags they had brought and Lilly went to grab the papers. She frowned. "Homework on Christmas Eve? Isn't that cruel and unusual punishment?"

"Very much so. Perhaps next time she will think twice before slacking off," said Susan simply, already returning to her work.

Lilly grabbed the homework and left before they thought of something for her to do. When she got to her room, Miley was already sprawled out on her bed, her remaining crutch thrown by the doorway. Miley grinned and patted the bed next to her.

"Come on, Lils, let's celebrate Christmas."

"Mom told me to leave the door open," said Lilly and sat on the end of the bed by Miley's feet.

"I can be quiet."

Lilly smirked and looked at her girlfriend. "You cannot."

Miley shrugged, knowing Lilly was right. She noticed the papers in her girlfriend's hand. "What's that?"

Lilly held up the papers and then tossed them onto Miley's chest. "Your homework."

Miley groaned and turned onto her side. "No-o! Lilly, how could you?"

"Hey, I'm not about to cross your mom. She's tough."

A contemplative look crossed Miley's face. "Worse since Richard."

Lilly watched her girlfriend, but Miley was clearly serious. "You don't really think that, do you? Your mom's always been very strict."

Miley turned her head enough to look up at Lilly. "Yeah, but I never listened and it wasn't a big deal. Now she gets really mad."

"But why's that Richard's fault? Maybe your mom was just fed up?"

"'Cause he's evil," said Miley simply and though she sounded completely serious, Lilly could tell she was adding a hint of exaggeration. Lilly rolled her eyes and nudged Miley in her side.

"Well, then you don't wanna piss him or your mom off. Come on, you can use my computer." Lilly pointed at the papers now partially crushed under Miley's body.

Miley frowned, clearly realizing she wouldn't get out of the homework. A grin suddenly appeared on her face. "What do I get in return?"

"Your mom not mad at you," said Lilly, pretending to not know exactly what Miley was angling for.

"And?"

"Isn't that enough?"

Miley shook her head. "I think you should pay me in sexual favors."

Lilly couldn't believe this was the same girl whose first kiss and virginity she had stolen just a few months ago. She shook her head. "No way, not with the door open and all our parents downstairs and my brother right next door." Seeing Miley's sad pout she sighed. "Fine, you can get some cuddle time. And maybe a few kisses, but only if you do your homework properly."

Miley grinned and sat up, grabbing the papers. She knew cuddling and a few kisses always ended in a heavy makeout session, so ultimately she was going to get what she wanted. She sat at Lilly's desk, determined to finish as quickly as possible.

**xxx**

"What'd you get me?"

"Come on, you can tell me."

"Lilly, what'd you get me?"

Lilly just smirked, her resolve unwavering. Miley had been bugging her about her present for close to thirty minutes now, to no avail. They were stretched out on the couch in the living room, Miley lying on her back in between Lilly's legs with her head resting on her girlfriend's chest. They were watching "A Christmas Story" on TV, while the adults remained in the dining room, talking and drinking coffee. Lilly's brother, Michael, was home for the holidays, but said he was too cool to watch the movie and had gone straight to his room after dinner.

Miley turned over, looking up at Lilly with a grin. "Tell me, Lilly."

"I didn't **get** you anything, Miles," said Lilly simply and it was the truth. Miley normally hand-crafted all her presents to people, out of feathers and beads and sticks and stones, creating some of the strangest items known to man. But Lilly had been the one to suggest they make each other's presents for birthdays and Christmas, worrying about Miley or Susan spending money they didn't have, but over time she had come to really like the idea. It certainly took a lot more thought to make something than to simply buy it.

"Then what did you make me?" asked Miley, trying for the umpteenth time to get Lilly to open up.

"Just be patient, Roadkill, you'll find out soon."

Miley heaved an impatient sigh, but, as usual, Lilly kept her grounded. Otherwise she would likely have gone up the wall from curiosity by now. She nudged Lilly in the side. "Lils, go tell them we're ready to open the presents now."

"No way, you go tell them. I'm too comfy to get up," said Lilly, wrapping her arms around her girlfriend. Miley was the perfect weight, comforting and warm and whenever they cuddled like this Lilly just felt completely at ease and relaxed. If she had her way, they wouldn't even bother with presents tonight – Miley was all she needed.

As it turned out, neither of them had to get up, since the adults finally decided to venture into the living room. They'd decided to just open some presents tonight, when both families were present. The Truscotts would open the rest of theirs in the morning and Lilly felt guilty knowing Miley wouldn't get anything else. Of course, she had to remind herself, Miley didn't mind in the slightest and Lilly loved that about her. Not everyone could be absolutely happy with whatever they had.

"Girls, are you ready to open presents yet or do you need a few minutes?"

Lilly rolled her eyes at her dad, knowing he liked to tease them every chance he got. All five adults entered and took the various open seats around the room. Lilly nudged Miley until the girl sat up – as much as Lilly loved to cuddle she didn't want to do it around their parents. Even Michael joined them downstairs, though only after having to be bribed with the promise of getting to open some presents. He plopped down right next to Miley, thankfully having long gotten over his mistrust and fear of her.

"Alright, me first," he proclaimed, earning annoyed glares from both his parents, but no one stopped him from opening the first present.

Instead of watching her brother, Lilly's eyes were focused on her girlfriend. Miley looked just as excited at the prospect of someone else opening their present as she did about her own and Lilly shook her head, smiling. She should have known. Lilly was so wrapped up in her thoughts, she was surprised to find an oddly wrapped package thrust into her arms. She looked at Miley, who grinned excitedly.

Lilly squeezed the present to get a feel for it, knowing one could never be too careful when it came to Miley. It was soft and Lilly slowly undid the wrapping paper. Inside was a slightly misshapen knitted beanie in blue and gold colors. It certainly wasn't the best looking thing, but just knowing Miley had tried to not only make Lilly's favorite article of clothing, but also in the colors of her favorite school, was enough to make it the best hat she owned.

"You like it?" asked Miley, sounding not at all doubtful.

"I love it, Miles. Thank you," said Lilly honestly and leaned forward to peck her girlfriend's lips. She knew everyone was watching but a good present deserved a kiss.

Michael made a gagging noise. "Ugh, no PDA next to me."

"Shut it, jerk," said Lilly, earning a look from her mother. She tugged the beanie on her head, making Miley grin wider. "When did you learn to knit?"

"In the hospital, when I shared a room with that old woman, Ethel. She wanted me to make a sweater, but that took too long."

Lilly laughed. She could only imagine hyperactive and impatient Miley knitting a hat. She was surprised it hadn't come out looking a lot more misshapen than it did. Lilly turned to look at Susan, who was already holding a small, neatly wrapped package. The woman handed it to Miley, whose eyes were already gleaming.

"Miley, this is from grandma and Lilly and me." Susan got a confused look and motioned for Miley to go ahead. "You'll see."

Miley took no care with the wrapping paper, ripping it down the middle and opened the box to reveal a shiny new mp3 player. She looked at her mother, awed and speechless, and Lilly had to laugh at the look on her face. She knew Miley had wanted an mp3 player for a while, because she loved music and was always running around somewhere, but they were too pricey for Susan's budget. Lilly had known the moment Susan approached her with the idea, Miley would absolutely love it.

"I hope you like it, honey. Grandma had to play a lot of bingo for the money," said Susan, chuckling at the end. Miley grinned and practically jumped at her mother to hug her. She even made her way, crutchless, over to where Grandma Ruby sat to hug her, as well. Susan got her to sit back down. "The mp3 player is from Grandma and me, but what's on it is from Lilly."

Miley looked at the player in her hand. She hadn't noticed it wasn't sealed in its box until now. "What's on it?"

"Your daddy's old songs. I don't know how she did it, but Lilly transferred all his old tapes onto the computer. Now you can listen to him whenever you want, sweet pea."

"Daddy's tapes?" Miley looked down at the mp3 player in her hands like it was a most sacred object and Lilly didn't think she'd ever seen anyone look so happy, but so sad at the same time.

She'd originally just offered to put some of her music onto the player since the Stewarts had no computer, but when Susan had mentioned something about old tapes, Lilly saw her chance for a great, handcrafted Christmas present. Mr. Stewart had been an avid musician in his day and had recorded many covers, as well as some originals, onto cassette tapes that ended up gathering dust and rotting away in some boxes. He'd never made it big, but now, years later, at least Miley still had something to hold onto.

Miley turned to Lilly and wrapped her arms as tightly as possibly around her girlfriend. Lilly squeezed back, now more glad than ever she had suggested the hand-made present idea. She didn't think anything she could have bought would've made Miley half as happy as having her dad's songs.

"Thanks, Lils. This is the best present ever."

"I'm glad you like it, Miles. I love you." Lilly said the last part as quietly as possible, but when Miley pulled back just enough to lay a big, wet kiss on her, Michael made more gagging noises.

"Again with the PDA. Let's open more presents."

Lilly rolled her eyes at him, but she was too content to care much. A few more presents were opened, including Miley's coupons to her mother and grandmother to do everything they asked for a whole day. Lilly had snorted at that, knowing it was probably impossible, but Susan had tucked it away carefully, claiming she'd put it to good use. Lilly's parents had even gotten something for Miley, a thick book detailing World War II in pictures and at the end of the evening everyone seemed happy and relaxed. They all sat together in the living room, telling stories and drinking hot chocolate under the lights of the Christmas tree. Miley sat snuggled up against Lilly, her head on the blonde's shoulder, while she flipped through the pages of her new book. Lilly noticed Richard had seemed tense all night, as if something were bothering him, but since not even Miley was annoyed by his presence tonight and she was so relaxed and happy, she let it go. It was Christmas, after all.

_to be continued_


	8. Chapter 8

First off, sorry for the crazy delay in getting this posted. The combination of lack of Internet, writer's block and traveling has been hell on this story apparently. I'm still struggling with the writer's block, but I have every intention to get this finished. As long as there's someone out there to read it ;)

Also, this chapter is rated M...for obvious reasons...

* * *

**Chapter VIII**

Miley awoke in the middle of the night to a completely silent house. Her room was sparsely illuminated by a scary pumpkin nightlight leftover from Halloween, creating long shadows against her walls. A large cat was curled up on each side of the foot end of her new Queen sized bed, graciously warming her normally cold feet. Her grandma was allowing the barn cats to come inside this winter because of the cold and Miley enjoyed their presence in her room and bed. The two tomcats were strangely attached to her and could hardly be found sleeping anywhere but her room, but Miley liked it that way. If she couldn't have her preferred bedmate, the cats would have to do. The last time Lilly had been allowed to sleep over was sometime during Miley's bed-bound days, when both Lilly's parents and her own mother had still felt sorry for her.

She sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed, the movement earning her matching glares from the sleeping cats. Miley wriggled her toes, trying to gauge the strength of her legs, but since she certainly didn't feel like using her crutches, she stood. Her bedroom was carpeted, but once she got out into the hall the hardwood floor felt cold underneath her bare feet. It was completely silent there, too, with no sounds coming from behind the closed doors of the other two bedrooms.

Miley made her way down the stairs, careful not to make too much noise. Her mother was a light sleeper and seemed to always keep an ear out for Miley doing things she wasn't supposed to. Her legs felt a little stiff and achy without the crutches, but she was happy it no longer hurt to walk. She'd almost completed her four to six week sentence on the crutches and was more than thrilled to be getting rid of them soon.

Her original intent had been to go to the kitchen and maybe raid the fridge for some of the cake they'd had for New Year's, but once she reached the bottom of the staircase she noticed something was off. Miley could tell from where she stood the stove light in the kitchen was on and as she made her way over, she noticed the porch light was lit, as well. A pair of her slippers was strewn by the entrance way and Miley slipped them on before opening the front door. Having grown up in Crowley Corners, she had no worries about burglars or thieves outside and stepped out into the cold winter air.

"Hello, Miley."

Miley almost wished she hadn't woken up at all, but then Richard would've been down here by himself, probably doing something untoward. He was sitting in Grandma Ruby's rocking chair, wearing a thick jacket, holding a steaming mug in his hands. He hadn't even turned to look when the door opened, his eyes staring straight ahead into the darkness as if he saw something no one else could.

"What're you doing out here?" Miley made no pretense of being nice without her mother's watchful gaze.

Richard finally turned to look at her and offered a half smile. "Couldn't sleep. I'm a night owl and I didn't want to wake your mom tossing and turning."

Miley frowned. "How could your tossing and turning wake mom all the way from the sofa?"

Richard shook his head, chuckling. "I like you, Miley; you're a funny kid."

"But I don't like you. You're hiding something and I know it."

Richard's face turned serious again, almost contemplative. "Have you ever lied about something to protect someone you cared about?"

"No. I don't lie," said Miley simply.

He inclined his head, as if to agree. "And that is an admirable quality, Miley. But most of us do lie. We lie to protect people and sometimes we lie because it's just easier, but that doesn't necessarily mean we are hiding something."

"So you **are** lying then." Miley crossed her arms, but her face remained mostly neutral. She hadn't trusted him from the start; whatever he revealed would be no news to her.

Richard chuckled again. "You've got me all figured out, don't you? Why do you think I'm here, Miley?"

Miley really had no answer for him, beyond just knowing something was off. She shrugged. "I heard you talking on the phone that night, about me and my mom."

"You heard me say your name?" If he was nervous about their conversation, Richard didn't show it. He exuded a calm that was almost eerie to Miley. She shook her head, not able to remember the exact conversation he'd had under her tree. Richard set his mug down on the porch. "I've got a patient who is a star volleyball player at Middle Tennessee. Her coaches are worried she won't be ready for the upcoming season. That's who I was talking about that night, Miley, not you or your mother."

He sounded very confident about his answer and Miley, who had so little experience with people lying, really couldn't tell whether he was. She sighed, frustrated by his presence and the ease with which he seemed to carry himself. If only her Daddy were here, he'd have Richard figured out in no time at all. When Miley didn't say anything, Richard continued.

"Your mom is safe with me, Miley. I am not going to take her away; you have my word."

Miley made a face, certain she didn't believe him this time, even though she desperately wanted to. "But how much is your word worth when you say you sometimes lie?"

Richard looked contemplative at her question and shook his head. "That I can't answer, Miley. But I think you should get back inside; it's freezing out here and you're in your pajamas."

Even though she didn't want to do anything he said, Miley was starting to feel very cold and wanted nothing more than to climb back into bed with the cats. No matter what Richard said, she didn't like him and would not be able to trust him. He effectively ended the conversation by picking his mug back up to take a sip and Miley turned to leave, just wanting to get away. Every time she tried to confront him she felt like she lost. She was just in the doorway, when he called after her.

"There's a piece of cake on the kitchen counter for you. I won't tell your mom if you don't."

Miley hesitated, but went inside without another word. She bypassed the kitchen with the potentially poisoned cake and went straight up to her room. Miley got back into bed, but Richard's parting words would not leave her in peace. He'd sounded almost as if he had known she'd be coming downstairs.

**xxx**

"Miley, can we **please** go inside now?" Lilly watched with chattering teeth while her girlfriend continued to pile snow into a sad heap.

"I want to finish my snowman first," said Miley, refusing to be deterred from her task.

Lilly shifted in a futile attempt to force some warmth back into her feet and wrapped her arms tightly around herself. She couldn't fathom how Miley, who was kneeling in the snow wearing nothing but jeans and a sweater, wasn't the least bit cold.

"Looks more like a mush-man to me," she said derisively, wishing she could just go inside.

Miley grinned at the insult, and continued with her task. They'd had the first snowfall that actually stayed on the ground last night and since it had been the same day Dr. Khauf had given Miley the official okay to throw away her crutches, she had seen it as a sign. She was going to build this snowman, no matter how cold her fingers and toes were.

"Come on, Miles, we can make some hot chocolate, and cuddle." Lilly used her last trump card, hoping the lure of getting close to Lilly while Susan was at work would sway the younger girl.

Miley made a face that said Lilly's plan was working. She sighed and swiped her hand across her heap of snow and stood. Lilly suddenly found herself pulled along towards the house, having almost forgotten how fast Miley was when she wasn't injured. They made their way around back to the mudroom to take off their soaked shoes and jackets, though Miley remained dirty and wet.

"I think I need a shower," said Miley matter-of-factly, but the slight smirk tugging at the corner of her lips as she said it gave her away.

Lilly nodded. "I think you do, too. Let me grab the hose."

Miley stuck her tongue out at Lilly and wriggled out of her wet jeans with some difficulty. Next went her soaked shirt and Lilly couldn't help but look. It took her several moments to catch her bearings and she swallowed, almost embarrassed at how dry her mouth was.

"Isn't your…uh…your grandma here?" Lilly struggled with the words, her eyes still focused on her girlfriend's gorgeous body, covered minimally with a bra and panties. She shook her head slowly to force her eyes back to Miley's face.

Miley was grinning, certainly not oblivious to the effect she was having on Lilly. "Nope, she's out. Momma won't be back until ten and Richard's gone all day to Nashville. It's just you and me, Lils."

Lilly narrowed her eyes. "Are you seriously telling me we wasted all this time outside making a retarded snowman?"

Miley laughed, unperturbed and was already walking towards the living room, clad only in her underwear. Lilly followed, unwilling to let the injustice go unpunished, but just when she thought she'd caught up to Miley, the younger girl squealed and ran. Lilly chased her up the stairs, feeling silly for only the briefest of moments, and cornered her girlfriend in the bathroom. She wrapped an arm around Miley's bare waist, pulling the struggling and squealing girl flush against her. It was cold inside the house and Miley's skin was already covered in goosebumps, so Lilly turned on the shower and tried to maneuver her girlfriend into the tub.

Lilly moved to get away, but Miley grabbed her wrist to stop her and slipped, pulling them both down into the tub. Lilly crashed on top of her girlfriend, hearing Miley's head hit the tub with a thud. Warm water rained down on them and she raised herself up enough to brush some water from Miley's face, checking to see if her girlfriend was okay. Miley met her eyes, an impish grin on her face and Lilly could only shake her head, before leaning in to press a wet kiss to the girl's lips. Miley didn't waste any time, both hands gliding along Lilly's skin to peel her wet shirt off of her. Her right hand went to the fly of Lilly's jeans, while the left slid up her back to unhook the blonde's bra.

Lilly almost shot up as Miley's cold hand snaked under her shirt.

"Miles, stop, you're freezing cold," whined Lilly, looking down at her girlfriend. There were some leaves and a bit of dirt stuck to the girl's skin and Lilly had no idea how they had gotten there.

"That's why you need to warm me up," said Miley, her ice-cold fingertips leaving a delicate trail along Lilly's bare skin. Hot water pounded down on them, making her feel warm and cold all at the same time.

Unable to argue with that reasoning, Lilly allowed Miley's hands to wander freely. Feeling at a disadvantage, she brought her hands to the clasp of Miley's bra, taking it off her grinning girlfriend. Most of the dirt and leaves were already washed off, swirling down the drain and Lilly let her hands slide across Miley's slick, hot skin. The panties came off next, hitting the bathroom floor with a wet thud. Lilly pressed her bare, naked skin against Miley's, fire burning through her veins. She leaned closer to press their lips together and their kiss was, as always, soft and tantalizing and all-consuming. Lilly felt Miley's hand slide between their bodies and gasped as the girl's fingers made contact. She broke their kiss as she shuddered, goosebumps erupting across her skin and bit her lip to stifle a moan. Looking down, she saw the smirk on Miley's face and wanted to erase it so badly, but could hardly concentrate with the way Miley was moving against her.

She leaned forward again, bringing her mouth to Miley's ear, biting the girl's sensitive earlobe gently. Lilly felt Miley shudder beneath her and kissed her way down the girl's neck, leaving a trail of soft bites that made her girlfriend groan. She slid her hand along the outside of Miley's thigh, along her belly and back down, teasing her relentlessly. Miley didn't let it up in her rhythm and Lilly closed her eyes against the onslaught, knowing she was close to the edge. She didn't want to go over alone and looked back down, seeing the smirk still firmly in place. Lilly moved her hand farther down and slid her fingers into Miley. The brunette groaned, smirk now gone and Lilly leaned back down to kiss her. Their tongues brushed against each other, mouths pressed firmly together to keep down the moans. They held onto each other tightly as they moved as one and before long they both stiffened as the waves of pleasure descended upon them.

By the time Lilly had recovered enough to open her eyes and push herself up shakily, Miley's eyes were already closed. She laughed lightly, shaking her girlfriend, who seemed to have warmed up considerably. Miley merely groaned, throwing an arm across her face.

"I'm gonna take a nap."

"In the shower? Come on, Roadkill, let's get cleaned up and go cuddle," said Lilly, already reaching for the soap.

Miley snorted, her eyes still covered by her arm and Lilly gave her a look. "What?"

"What we just did was anything but clean, Lils," said Miley, hardly containing her laughter.

Lilly rolled her eyes. She grabbed a bottle of shampoo from the side and pulled the tie out of Miley's hair, before soaping up the girl's head. Maybe she was enabling her girlfriend's laziness and defiance, but how could she resist that gorgeous, naked, wet girl in front of her?

Miley let Lilly shampoo and condition her hair without comment, simply enjoying the ministrations. Once Lilly turned her attentions towards herself, however, Miley grudgingly soaped up and rinsed off in record time, hopping out of the shower to dry off and get dressed. By the time Lilly entered the bedroom, Miley was already stretched out on the bed, opening her arms to beckon Lilly closer.

Lilly didn't hesitate to join her girlfriend on the bed. Miley wrapped her arms around Lilly and pulled the girl down on top of her, leaving the blonde no choice but to press her lips against her girlfriend's. They kissed for several minutes, slow and lovingly, just enjoying each other without the heated frenzy from earlier. Finally Lilly pulled away and slid off Miley, propping herself up on one arm. Miley grinned up at her lazily, sleep just swimming on the edges of her eyes.

Brushing some hair off Miley's forehead, Lilly almost heaved a sigh. "You're too damn cute, Miles. I hate being away from you."

Her own openness surprised her, but she didn't let it show. If there was one person on this earth she could be totally honest with without fear of ridicule or reprisal, it was certainly Miley.

"So, don't go away from me," said Miley simply, capturing Lilly's hand in hers and intertwining their fingers.

"I wish. I was looking forward to Spring Break, until my parents sprung this trip on me." Lilly frowned, unhappy at the slight resentment she felt towards her parents, but also disliking their pushiness as of late.

"Trips are fun. I've never even been outside of Tennessee."

Lilly looked at her girlfriend and made a face. "You can go instead of me then. Being stuck in a car with my parents while we drive to Florida and up the coast to North Carolina sounds like pure torture to me."

"I like your parents," said Miley, voice almost contemplative and Lilly realized she must be thinking about her own father, who would never be able to take her on a trip and she sighed.

"I like them, too, Miles. But they've been forcing this college thing on me for months and making me drive around half the country to look at schools I don't want to go to is only gonna make me more annoyed."

Miley shrugged. "Aren't they good schools, though?"

"Yeah, some of them. But Middle Tennessee isn't bad and it's got one thing no other school does."

"What's that?" asked Miley, though the smirk waiting to break free betrayed her innocence.

Lilly leaned closer until their lips almost met. "You," she breathed and closed the distance between them, hoping to convey every ounce of love and devotion she felt in that one kiss. She pulled away, both of them breathless from the intensity of their emotions.

Miley grinned. "We've got a few weeks. We should make the most of that time."

"We should," agreed Lilly, leaning in again. She was going to prove to Miley she loved her beyond measure, that even if for some reason she ended up going somewhere else, it didn't mean she wasn't head over heels in love.

_to be continued..._


	9. Chapter 9

Thanks to those of you who are still reviewing this and letting me know how you're liking it. I'm trying to power through this writer's block and I think it came out okay ;) Let me know what you think...

**

* * *

Chapter IX**

The ancient radio on the counter was playing an old Dolly Parton song, its old speakers distorting the sound into a horrible, tinny mess. Miley's mother was at the kitchen sink washing dishes, humming along to the song over the horrible noise. On the right of the eat-in kitchen bench sat Grandma Ruby, browsing the obituaries in the local newspapers, her reading glasses perched low on her nose. An old clock above the doorway with pictures of chickens instead of numbers ticked loudly enough to be heard over the din of the radio. Miley looked up at it, watching the second hand moving across the dial in sheer boredom.

Susan moved to put some of the dishes away and noticed Miley's wandering attention. "Miley, eat your breakfast."

Miley's gaze returned to the bowl in front of her. She dipped her spoon half-heartedly into the watery oatmeal, scooped some up and let it drip back into the bowl without much enthusiasm. Glancing up, she noticed her mother's stern gaze directed at her. Miley frowned.

"Momma, you know I don't like oatmeal."

"I know, honey, but we're out of everything else. I'm going to the store later," said Susan, drying her hands on the dishtowel.

Miley perked up at the thought of a store with tons of things to see. "Can I come?"

Susan hesitated, knowing Miley's presence could triple the time spent in the store, but the sound of heavy footsteps out in the living room distracted her. "If you finish your oatmeal."

Miley grimaced at the thought and turned back to her new enemy. When she heard someone enter the kitchen, however, she looked up, just in time to see Richard plant a 'good morning' kiss on her mother's lips. Something cold twisted inside of her and when he turned to wink at her, Miley quickly averted her eyes. Susan, mindful of her daughter's feelings, kept a fair distance from Richard while they talked before he left for work. Nevertheless Miley kept her eyes glued to her bowl while she choked down her breakfast and tried not to gag, whether from the oatmeal or the improper displays of affection she couldn't tell.

Several hours later she sat in the passenger seat of Richard's brand-new Ford F150 truck, a bag of delicious gummy worms in her lap, the incident at breakfast already forgotten. Her mother had needed to make a quick stop at the post office and instructed Miley under threat of loss of her gummy worms to stay where she was. Miley, for once, was content to just sit in the truck, happy she'd gotten to spend alone time with her mother and even managed to talk the woman into buying her candy. Richard's truck was pretty nice, too, as long as he was nowhere in it. He'd gotten a ride to work so Susan could use his truck to run her errands in Murfreesboro; Grandma Ruby's old truck was unlikely to make the journey anymore.

Miley snatched another gummy worm out of her bag and sucked it into her mouth. It was finally Spring and warming up enough that she had her window rolled down, enjoying the warm breeze outside. Miley moved to prop her legs up on the dashboard and accidentally kicked the console with a loud thud. The glove compartment sprung open and several folders spilled onto Miley's feet. She quickly set the gummy worms aside and bent down to pick up the folders – she knew she'd be in trouble if her momma found her like this. Just as she was trying to stuff the folders back into the glove compartment, she saw her name written in bold on the front of one of them.

Miley didn't hesitate to open it, consequences be damned. Inside was a sheet with her biographical data and school information and in the right pocket were several pictures. She pulled them out, heart hammering in her chest. Had she finally found proof Richard was out to get her? The pictures were mostly in black and white, candid shots of her out in what looked to be Murfreesboro. She couldn't be sure exactly when they were taken, but the last showed her sharing milkshakes with her father at Poppy's Burgers. Something pricked at the back of her eyeballs and Miley quickly shoved the pictures back into the folder.

She reached for the others and noticed there were more names written across their fronts. Miley opened the first folder, noticing the same set-up as in her folder but for one difference – a large, red X had been drawn across the biographical page. She quickly went through the other three, finding the exact same thing. Miley flipped through the pictures stashed in each of the folders. They were similar to hers – all of four different teenaged girls out in public places. Miley did not recognize the other girls, but noticed from the background in the pictures some of them were clearly not taken in Middle Tennessee - one girl was fighting through knee-high snow, while another relaxed at the beach.

The driver's side door opened, startling Miley heavily enough she spilled the photos onto the floor. Susan got into the truck and immediately noticed Miley staring at her, pale-faced and silent. She turned to look at her daughter, worried for a brief moment about the girl's health, but then noticed the folders and pictures spilled across Miley's lap. Sudden dread and anger boiled up inside of her – how would she explain to Richard Miley was going through his personal things? How could she get Miley to finally listen to her?

"Miley Ray S-" Susan started, her voice rising by the third syllable, but Miley interrupted her.

"Momma, there are pictures of me."

She sounded not at all insolent like Susan had imagined, but almost scared and it stopped her for just a split-second. Then she thought of Richard lending her his truck and having his things gone through in return. "Why are you going through Richard's things? I've had enough of this Miley, honestly. Put everything back right now."

"It was an accident, momma," said Miley in defense, but knew it didn't matter. What mattered to her were the strange folders and the four girls who had been crossed out like items on a shopping list.

Susan didn't wait for Miley to follow her instructions and grabbed the photos and folders herself to stow back in the glove compartment. "I swear, everything is an accident with you, child. Richard is a good man and I'm sick and tired of you acting like he's the devil. This has got to stop, Miley."

Miley watched, a sinking feeling in her chest, as her mother forcefully took the pictures from her hands to stuff back into the glove compartment. Why wasn't her mother listening? "There are pictures of other girls, too a-and information on them. Why does Richard have all these folders, momma?"

Susan slammed the glove compartment shut, making Miley jump just a little. She sat in the driver's seat, despair over the unsolvable situation weighing heavily on her. She didn't turn to look at her daughter when she finally spoke, pulling on her seatbelt instead. "Richard is a physical therapist; he has a lot of patients and he has files for each patient. You, too, were his patient, Miley."

"But the other girls are all crossed out," countered Miley, unsure whether the folders she had found could merely be patient files from Richard's job.

"I don't know, Miley. Maybe they're no longer his patients," said Susan impatiently, already pulling out of the parking spot.

Miley frowned, considering the possibility. It still did not sit right with her. "There was a picture of me and Dad."

Susan shot Miley a quick, stern look. "I'm done talking about this, Miley."

Miley knew from the tone in her mother's voice and the look in her eyes she was telling the truth. Her mother refused to believe her, too caught up in Richard's web of lies and deceit. All she could hope for was to call the only person in the world who would trust her no matter what. She risked a side-ways glance at her mother.

"Are you gonna ground me?"

Susan sighed heavily and her whole body seemed to sag as if the fight had been drained out of her. "There's really no point, is there? You're just gonna do whatever you want anyway, with no regard to anyone else."

Miley wanted to protest, but decided to remain silent. Something pricked at the back of her eyeballs again and she whipped her head around to stare out the window, forcing the tears back. Richard was taking the only family she had left, but Miley couldn't just sit there and let it happen.

Several hours later she was lying on her bed, her cellphone on her chest as she stared up at the ceiling, Lilly's voice over the speaker calming her. At least her mother's uncaring attitude about grounding Miley was allowing her to speak with Lilly after her discovery earlier. Lilly, who'd liked Richard well enough the few months she had known him, sounded a lot more skeptical than Susan had.

"I don't know, Miles, it does sound kind of shady, I admit. He hasn't been your therapist in months, so why would he have your file?" Lilly wasn't expecting an answer and did not receive one. She knew Miley was upset, more over her mother's attitude regarding this mystery than over any potential danger Richard posed. Lilly, on the other hand, was worried.

"You said there was a picture of you and your Dad?"

Miley nodded absentmindedly, then remembered she was on the phone. "Yeah."

Lilly didn't think there was any way Richard could explain that away – he'd been Miley's therapist long after Mr. Stewart had passed away. She wished for the umpteenth time she could be with her girlfriend instead of on a road trip with her parents. But they were already halfway to Florida and Lilly would not be able to see Miley for another week. Lilly heaved a heavy sigh.

"Just…try to stay away from him for now, okay? We'll try to figure something out when I get back. And Miley," Lilly added, though she knew any warning would likely fall on deaf ears, "be careful."

"I always am," said Miley and though it was her trademark answer, for once she sounded almost serious.

**xxx**

It was the first truly nice day of the year – sunshine, few clouds and the smell of spring in the air. There were even a few birds, their songs interrupting the otherwise calm air. The trees ahead were sporting fat buds already that would unfurl into leaves over the next month. Miley normally would have considered this the perfect day for being outside and climbing a few trees, but today she merely walked along dutifully, not even straying from the path. She was glad to get out of the house where she'd practically been confined for days without reprieve, but would rather have done so without half of her current company.

Several days of rainstorms had forced Miley to remain indoors under the watchful eyes of her mother and grandmother and the girl hadn't dared, for once, to get into even more trouble by escaping. Now that the sun had finally come out, Susan had suggested they go for a walk on the nearby hiking trails, though since she had invited Richard along, Miley would almost have preferred to stay at home. Almost, because there was only so much sitting inside she could take.

She was walking several feet ahead and turned around every few minutes to ensure they were still behind her. She'd been instructed not to wander off, but every time she turned her head Miley had to look at her mother and Richard ambling along while holding hands and she considered bolting for the tree line every time. Facing the front, she quickly extended the distance once again, not liking having to be here with Richard one bit.

Up ahead she came across a branching path, a small sign detailing its level and distance. Miley stopped to look down the new path, momentarily forgetting about her mother and Richard behind her. Thick, tall trees lined the path and though they had no leaves, little light seemed to reach the ground. The smaller path ran straight for a good fifty yards, before making a sharp turn hidden from view by the thick tree trunks. Miley frowned as she looked along the part she could see, the hairs on her arms rising as an odd feeling settled inside of her. Something was telling her to take this path, to follow it to its conclusion, though she could not say what it was drawing her in. The path seemed ominous at best. She took a step towards it, but a sudden voice behind her reminded Miley she was not alone.

"You don't wanna take this path, do you?"

Miley turned and looked directly at Richard. She'd followed Lilly's advice and managed to stay away from him as best as she could and this was the first time she'd met his eyes in days. His voice had been even and calm, as always, but something akin to curiosity in his eyes gave away his nonchalance. Miley cocked her head slightly, now curious herself.

"Why not?"

Richard finally let go of her mother's hand and stepped closer, eyeing the path before them with an unperturbed gaze. "I just don't think you want to take this path, Miley."

Miley narrowed her eyes. Could Richard, too, feel the eerie vibe washing over her in waves as she stood in close proximity to the path? Was whatever he didn't want her to know hidden at the end of the path and he was trying to keep her from finding out?

"It just looks so dark and closed in. I think we'd all rather enjoy the sunshine, don't you?" Richard was talking to her, but Miley knew he'd added this reason for her mother's sake. She somehow knew he did not care about the creepiness. Susan, however, nodded in agreement, already moving along the main path as if dismissing Miley's idle idea.

Knowing Richard did not want her to go, however, kept Miley from being deterred. She set out onto the dark path, not looking back. "I wanna see what's at the end; it looks mysterious."

Susan complained and tried to talk Miley out of it, but Richard did not utter a word as the two adults followed her along the path. Miley ignored her mother, unconcerned by the thought of possible punishment, and pushed on, deeper into the woods, past trunks twice the girth of her body, bare branches occasionally brushing her arms and face. Without the sun to warm them it was considerably cooler in this section of the woods and Miley rubbed her arms for warmth. She considered turning to check the others were still following, but did not want to be greeted by a display of Richard warming up her mother.

Miley continued, silent as she walked along the path. She knew her mother was still following, the woman's pleas to just turn around letting Miley know she was there. Richard said nothing, but Miley knew he was still following. It took another few minutes before a clearing opened up ahead, warm sunshine painting a circle onto the cold, moist earth. Large, heavy stones outlined the sun circle, as if someone had anticipated its presence. Inside the stone circle were the remains of charred branches, ashes dusted across the stones. Miley stepped into the clearing without hesitation. She walked up to the stone circle, her curiosity winning out as always. It still smelled faintly of burnt wood along with some other curious scents she could not discern. Odd symbols had been drawn onto the surfaces of the stones with ash and though they were partially smeared and foreign, somehow Miley felt she had seen them before. She reached for one of the stones, a strange tingling in her fingertips as they brushed across the ash symbol.

"Miley!"

She glanced over her shoulder at Richard. She hadn't realized the two adults had fallen so far behind and watched as they reached the edge of the clearing. Miley stood and wiped her hand on her pants, before stepping into the stone circle. The ash was soft under her sneakers and she turned her face upward, letting the warmth seep back into her bones as the sunlight fell on her.

Then suddenly everything happened in quick succession. The sunlight faded and with it its comforting warmth. Goosebumps erupted across Miley's skin, the small hairs on the back of her neck standing on end. She sucked in a quick breath at the familiar heaviness in her stomach and looked back to where her mother stood. Richard, his hand now on Susan's elbow, was pulling her backward into the path they'd just left. His eyes met Miley's, the first time since she'd met him they were anything but calm and in that split-second she realized Richard, too, knew what was about to happen. The bolt of light reached down from heaven and pierced her chest and then there was nothing.

_to be continued..._


	10. Chapter 10

First off, sorry for the delay; I didn't mean to leave you guys hanging after this huge cliffhanger. Second, thanks to all my loyal reviewers - you're what keeps me writing.

* * *

**Chapter X**

The first thing Miley noticed when she came to was that she was lying on her back on a lush bedding of grass. She could hear birds twitter in the background and a warm breeze brought the faint rustling of leaves. Miley opened her eyes reluctantly. She was lying in the shade of a large oak tree, its thick, green canopy blocking out the brilliant sun. A slight turn of the head told her she was in a large open pasture – she could even see a few cows grazing along the horizon. With no idea where she was or how she had gotten there, Miley sat up somewhat apprehensively. Someone suddenly stepped into her field of a vision, a man with a face weathered by the outdoors, wrinkles at the corners of his eyes. His hair was slightly longer than customary, though a cowboy hat covered most of it. He was wearing jeans and boots and a hideous button down shirt, but Miley was too taken by his face to pay close attention. The man grinned as he saw her and Miley matched it with one of her own.

"Daddy!"

Before she even had a chance to jump up, her father was already leaning down and scooped her up into his large arms. Miley wrapped her arms around his neck, letting herself be lifted off her feet as she enjoyed his bone-crushing hug. It was not until several minutes later that Robbie Ray Stewart set his daughter back onto her feet. Miley rested her head on his broad chest and squeezed once more, before pulling back to look at him.

He looked just as she remembered him, the same wrinkles, not a hair out of place. Miley looked around.

"Where's Jackson?"

As if on cue, her father stepped away to reveal her brother standing just behind him by the tailgate of an old truck she had not noticed before. He engulfed her in a hug as well, warm and comforting just as she remembered. Her brother Jackson had been her one true friend throughout the years she was ostracized and hated by everyone else; her loneliest time in life had been after his death and before she met Lilly.

Miley looked between her father and brother and across the green, sunny pasture and a horrible thought dawned on her. "Oh no, I'm dead, aren't I? Momma's gonna kill me." Despite their recent struggles, Miley hated the thought that she had caused her mother more grief.

The two men merely chuckled, however, and Robby Ray laid a calming hand on Miley's shoulder. "Don't worry, bud, you're not dead. Though I reckon your momma's not gonna be pleased when you wake up."

Miley frowned, the confusion clearly etched across her face. "Then why am I here? Why are you here? Where is here?"

Laughing again, Robby Ray guided Miley to sit on the tailgate, while both men stood just in front of it. Miley watched them curiously, but completely at ease. She trusted them implicitly and knew, regardless of where she was, she was safe. Jackson and his father looked at each other, before turning back to Miley, their faces now serious.

"Now, bud, you gotta listen to me, it's very important," said Robby Ray, trying to convey to his whimsical daughter the seriousness of the situation. Miley nodded intently and he continued. "You're in danger; Jackson and I, well, we had to break some rules just to try and come talk to you."

"So, you sent the lightning?" asked Miley, naturally ignoring the part about danger to herself.

"No, Miles, that one's all you," said Jackson from the side, smirking at his little sister. He earned a stern glare from his father.

"We didn't send it, Miles…it's…difficult to explain and we're not exactly allowed to. But we had to come and warn you about the man who is trying to kill you."

Miley's eyes widened, pieces clicking together in her head. "Richard?"

Robby Ray shook his head, frustration showing. "I don't know his name. Who is Richard?"

"Momma's new boyfriend. He's creepy and I don't like him."

If Robby Ray was affected by hearing about his wife's dating life, he did not show it. "You're not giving your momma a hard time, are you?"

Judging by Miley's sheepish look, he had his answer. Robby Ray shook his head. "Listen, bud, you need your momma, especially now. If this Richard person is the man comin' after you, you need to be careful. But I also don't want you focusin' on this guy just 'cause you don't like him bein' with your momma."

Miley met his eyes, voicing her true feelings about Richard for the first time. "I don't like momma being with someone who's not you, Daddy."

Robby Ray smiled and brushed a hand across the top of Miley's head. "I know, bud, but your momma is a good woman and she deserves love just as much as you do. I don't want you givin' her a hard time anymore, Miles, okay? You've got more important things to focus on."

Miley nodded, though she knew there was no way she could trust Richard, especially not with her father's warning in mind. "Why is this man trying to kill me?"

"I can't say, Miley. Something big is happening and you're in the middle of it. He needs you dead and I cannot let it happen. Whatever happens, Miley, you need to fight."

Miley swallowed, the seriousness of his words finally sinking in. She nodded quickly and Robby Ray pulled her against his body, hugging her close. His heart thudded loudly as she leaned her head against his chest and a horrible feeling washed over her. Miley pulled back, ashamed and horrified as she remembered why her brother and father were here. She looked away, unable to meet their eyes as she spoke.

"Daddy, I'm sorry…I'm sorry for killing you…and Jackson."

A heavy lump formed in her throat as she prepared for the rejection and admonishment sure to come. She felt her father's hands grab her shoulders and looked up. Robby Ray's face was serious, though surprised.

"You did not kill us, Miley. Why would you think that?"

She watched him skeptically. "The lightning…it came for me, but it killed you instead."

"The lightning did not come for **us**, Miley. It didn't kill us," said Jackson from the side, his own voice serious for once.

She looked at him, confused. "Then what did? They said the lightning caused the car to crash…"

Jackson looked as if he wanted to answer, but Robby Ray shook his head to tell him not to. Jackson did not look happy about it, but acquiesced. "We can't tell you, Miley. Just know it wasn't your fault, okay? You did nothing wrong, sis."

Miley wanted to ask more questions, not at all satisfied with the answer they had given, but Robby Ray started looking around, nervously. The sunlight seemed to be fading and he turned to Miley with a sad smile. "It's time for you to go, bud."

"Do I have to?" Miley had missed her father and brother and just being in their company was giving her new hope.

Robby Ray smiled and nodded. "Your momma is getting pretty worried, bud. You've got to go back, for her and your grandma, and Lilly, of course."

Miley looked at him in surprise, but took the hand he offered to hop down off the tailgate. "You know about Lilly?"

"We know about **everything**, li'l sis," said Jackson, smirking as he and his father walked Miley back to the tree she had woken up under. "Congratulations on finally…you know…"

Miley blushed for the first time ever in regards to her sex life and suddenly felt bad for all the times she had teased Lilly. Jackson earned a smack on the back of the head from Robby Ray for his comment, but Miley nevertheless couldn't meet her father's eyes. They stopped in front of the tree, all too painfully aware of the upcoming goodbye. Jackson gave his sister a quick hug and Robby Ray squeezed Miley again until her ribs hurt, pressing a tender kiss to the top of her head.

"Take care of yourself, bud, and your momma. And remember, we'll always be looking out for you, okay?"

Miley nodded, the lump from earlier back in full force. "I love you guys."

"And we love you, bud. Now go on, it's time," said Robby Ray. The two men stood and watched over her while she lay back down in the grass. Reluctantly Miley closed her eyes and she was gone the moment she did.

**xxx**

When she came to again it was a lot less pleasant. Her consciousness returned several seconds before the control of her body did and the first thing Miley noticed were the sirens. They were almost numbingly loud. The surface she was lying on was uncomfortable and somewhat unsteady. With the return of feeling in her arms and legs came an overpowering feeling of pins and needles throughout her entire body. There were hands on her body, the touch intensifying the feeling until her stomach rolled. Miley opened her eyes, hardly focusing on the surrounding shelves stocked with medical supplies and the tubing hanging above her, and immediately leaned to her right to throw up.

She blinked warily, noticing for the first time the pair of legs right in front of her and the shoes she'd just thrown up on. Miley gripped the bars of the stretcher tightly, lying back again. A cool hand brushed across her forehead. Miley groaned. "I'm sorry, momma."

"You have nothing to be sorry for, honey. Just relax, okay?" The worry was clearly evident in Susan's voice, though just seeing Miley awake had lifted a huge weight off her chest.

"I threw up on your shoes. Now you're gonna smell," said Miley, hardly concerned about her own current predicament.

Susan laughed, though not from humor – she'd just nearly lost her daughter, again and the adrenaline and terror still had her tightly in their grips. Quickly swiping the tears from her eyes, she reached over to take Miley's hand in hers. "Don't worry about me, sweet pea. Just relax, we'll be at the hospital soon."

Her mother's words took a few moments to register with Miley. The tingling was slowly fading from her body and with it came a renewed sense of clarity. A woman wearing a dark blue uniform stepped into her line of view, checking some of the tubing hanging from the ceiling. Miley glanced around and her eyes widened, as if realizing for the first time where she was. She tried to sit, but the paramedic and her mother stopped her.

"I'm fine; I don't need to go to the hospital."

"Sweetie, just relax. Do you know what happened?" The paramedic had to yell over the din of the sirens, but her demeanor was calm and collected.

Miley ignored the woman, instead reaching for the IV taped to her arm. Her mother's hand stopped her just in time and Susan took both of Miley's hands into hers to keep her from touching things. "Miley…"

She must have sounded worried about Miley's lack of an answer or her odd attitude and the paramedic rested a hand on Susan's arm, as if to calm her. "It's not uncommon for her to be confused after something like this."

Miley's head finally turned to look at the woman, her eyes showing her surprise. "I'm not confused. I just don't wanna go to a hospital again."

"Hun, you were struck by lightning; you could have serious internal injuries. And a doctor needs to look at your burn," said the paramedic, still sounding calm even though her patient was getting increasingly difficult.

"I got burned?" asked Miley, flexing her muscles to determine if something hurt. Other than a mild, residual tingling she felt pretty good. Looking down along her body, she noticed the gauze on her right foot and calf. She frowned. "I lost a shoe."

"The lightning knocked it off, hun," said Susan, refusing to let go of her daughter's hands even while the girl tried to pull them away. She knew as soon as Miley had free hands IV, EKG electrodes and bandages would be in danger.

Miley frowned again. She moved her left foot, still in its shoe, and then the right somewhat tentatively. It didn't particularly hurt and she sighed. "I liked these shoes."

Susan shook her head and though the worry wasn't yet gone, she was just happy Miley seemed to be her normal self. The paramedic on the other hand seemed to still think Miley was in a state of serious confusion. Susan didn't want to give her more reason to think so and tried once again to get Miley to be still.

"We'll get you new ones, honey. Now please just lie there and be calm; you're going to the hospital and that's that."

Miley wanted to do anything but lie still, especially with the tingles she still felt, but she did as her mother said for once. She had promised her father, after all. Miley thought of her brief visit with her dad and brother. She wanted to tell her mother about it, wanted her to share in the happiness of knowing the two men were fine and watching over them, but Miley didn't know how the woman would take it. She would either think Miley was really confused and hallucinating or that she had died for a short moment after the strike. Neither sounded like a good option to Miley.

"Momma?"

"Yes, sweet pea?"

"Can you call Lilly?" Miley really wanted her girlfriend, though she knew Lilly was still stuck in North Carolina with her parents somewhere. Miley was confident Lilly would believe her and share in her joy over seeing her dad and brother again.

Susan smiled and nodded, realizing this was the most compliant Miley had been in a long time. "I'll call her as soon as we're at the hospital."

Miley nodded, resigning herself to the unpleasant hospital visit that lay ahead. The ambulance ride did not last much longer and Miley spent it curiously gazing at the gadgets and equipment around her. Her hands itched to touch and moved things, but her mother's iron grip would not let up. And truth be told, Miley was happy about it – she finally had her mother's full attention again.

Several hours later found Miley sitting in a hospital bed at the Middle Tennessee Medical Center ER, digging a spoon into her third pudding cup. She was bored out of her mind and the nurses had quickly figured out to keep her plied with pudding and Jell-o to stop her from climbing out of her bed and fiddling with their equipment. Miley set the empty cup and spoon on the little table and sighed heavily. A nurse stood next to the bed, checking the monitors again and making notations in a chart.

"Can I go, yet?"

The nurse chuckled. She'd heard the same question probably two dozen times by now, but despite her inability to sit still and be quiet Miley was a patient they all enjoyed. The girl's natural charm and quirkiness certainly beat angry drunks and overbearing parents. She patted Miley's shoulder conciliatorily.

"Sorry hun, but your doctor wants to make sure your heart and head are okay after getting zapped."

Miley smirked slightly at the euphemism for the lightning strike. "I'm not a bug. And I feel fine."

"I'm sure you do, sweetie, but since I remember you saying the same thing after you jumped off a tree, I'm gonna defer to Dr. Khauf on this one, okay?"

Unable to argue that point, Miley just sighed and leaned back in her bed. She wanted to talk to Lilly, but wouldn't be able to until she left this place. Her mother had called Lilly earlier, but that was a few hours ago now and Miley was getting antsy. Richard had finally convinced Susan to grab a quick bite to eat in the cafeteria and Miley was happy to be rid of him. He hadn't done anything suspicious since before the strike, but she was certainly keeping her eye on him.

Miley looked up as someone entered the room. The hospital had called Dr. Khauf since he had more experience with her special case and he hadn't hesitated to come right away to examine her and run some tests, much to Miley's chagrin. Dr. Khauf was followed by both her mother and Richard, all wearing somber expressions. Susan immediately went back to her daughter's side and took her hand, making Miley feel almost okay about the bad news sure to come.

Dr. Khauf set a chart on the foot end of the bed and heaved a sigh. "So, Miley, here we are again."

"Can I go home now, doc?"

He smiled warmly at her and patted her shoulder just as the nurse had done earlier. "Soon, Miley. First I want to talk to you about the tests we ran."

"She's gonna be okay, isn't she?" asked Susan from across the bed, clutching Miley's hand more tightly.

"Well, her brain looks fine and her heart is beating normally. However, I'm extremely concerned about the arrhythmias recorded earlier after the strike."

"But I'm fine now, so let's go," said Miley, not wanting to her mother to hear more reasons to keep her from climbing trees.

"Yes, you're fine now, but at this point I'm worried about your heart's ability to withstand another strike like this," said Dr. Khauf, ignoring Miley's pleas to leave.

Susan looked worriedly between her daughter and the doctor. "What does that mean, doctor?"

"I'm sorry to say this, but if Miley gets struck again, she will not survive it," said the doctor, voice somber.

Susan gasped, but Miley only felt annoyance at his statement. She **felt** fine and didn't really believe in what the doctor was saying – he'd said she may die before the last strike and here she was. A cursory glance at her mother showed the woman was crying and Miley swallowed hard, knowing this could mean only trouble. She risked a glance at Richard, who stood in the corner watching them, but his face betrayed no emotion at all.

"I'd say the best course of action at this point is to keep Miley from getting into the situations where she may normally be exposed to lightning. We'll continue to run tests and start treatment to strengthen her heart," said Dr. Khauf, his eyes focused on a distressed Susan.

"Yes, Doctor, thank you so much."

Miley didn't understand why her mother was thanking him for giving them such horrid news, but she kept quiet. Miley had a horrible feeling this news would spell a permanent end to climbing trees. She just wanted to leave the hospital and then hopefully her mother would calm down enough to see reason once they got home.

Dr. Khauf nodded and pulled a syringe filled with a light pinkish liquid from his coat pocket and moved towards Miley's IV. "I'll just give you this and then we'll get you discharged, Miley, how's that sound?"

"What are you giving her?"

Miley turned her head, surprised to hear Richard speak and slightly annoyed he had asked the question on her own mind. His face was still unreadable, but his eyes were intense and dark as he stared down the doctor. Dr. Khauf, however, merely smiled, uncapping the syringe.

"It's part of the treatment I just mentioned." Dr. Khauf reached for the IV and suddenly Richard was right next to Miley's bed.

"What is it for?"

Miley looked between her nemesis, Richard, and the doctor who had promised to finally discharge her, confused. Richard had hardly spoken a word since reaching the hospital and she could not understand how this fit into the scheme of things.

Dr. Khauf was still smiling as he looked at Richard. "To strengthen her heart, like I said."

Richard's expression never changed and his voice remained even, but the look in his eyes made Miley uncomfortable. "What's it called?"

Dr. Khauf's smile finally slipped and Miley couldn't tell whether he was annoyed or nervous. Before he could answer, however, Susan rested a hand on Richard's arm, drawing his attention away. "Richard, it's fine. Dr. Khauf knows what he's doing."

The doctor nodded and when Richard acquiesced, emptied the contents of the syringe into Miley's IV. She almost expected something to happen, but felt nothing. Dr. Khauf, smile back on his face, patted her shoulder and promised to get a nurse to discharge her now. He said 'goodbye' to Susan and Miley, but ignored Richard, whose eyes were still trained on the doctor. He exited the room, leaving Miley with her mother and the man she was sure was out to kill her.

_to be continued_


	11. Chapter 11

Thank you to all my devoted readers; I'm glad you're all still curious about this and trying to figure out my plot. I think I'll keep you on your toes for a while, though, before I give away any answers ;)

* * *

**Chapter XI**

Lilly was out of the car and running up the front steps before her mother could remind her to be home for dinner. At least they hadn't tried to stop her from coming here straight away, but Lilly couldn't help feel some resentment towards them. If they hadn't forced her to go on this useless trip, she could have been there for her girlfriend two days ago.

She barged into the house without knocking, but then remembered her manners and called out. The farmhouse was eerily silent and despite the nice weather outside there was none of the normal draft indicating doors and windows were open. Lilly called out again and finally received an answer. She made her way into the kitchen, where she found Mrs. Stewart baking.

"Is Miley okay?" Lilly couldn't help the first words that spilled from her mouth.

Susan smiled, though it seemed half-hearted. "Well, hello to you, too, Lilly."

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Stewart. I'm just worried," said Lilly, though she knew if the woman was joking Miley had to be fine.

"I know, Lilly, I'm just teasin' ya. She's upstairs in her room."

"She's inside?" Lilly couldn't hide her surprise, assuming it would take an act of God to keep Miley inside on such a beautiful day.

Susan's smile fell and she looked away briefly, before meeting Lilly's eyes. "I can't let her outside, Lilly. I just can't. The doctor said she'd die the next time and…I just can't."

Lilly swallowed, unsure of what to say. "For how long?"

The woman didn't respond, but the look in her eyes told Lilly all she needed to know. She shook her head. "You can't keep her locked up inside forever."

"I've already lost a child and a husband, don't tell me what I can't do to save my daughter," said Susan, though she didn't sound angry as much as resolute. Lilly hadn't intended to make the woman mad, but before she could apologize Susan waved her off. "Miley's waiting for you."

Lilly hesitated, but Susan had already turned her attention back to the bowl before her, so she turned and made her way up the stairs towards her girlfriend's room. The door was wide open when Lilly entered and Miley was too engrossed in looking out the window, headphones on, to notice her. Lilly watched her in silence for several minutes, trying to force away her own worry and disarrayed thoughts. Miley finally turned and, upon seeing her girlfriend in the doorway, smiled widely. Lilly steeled herself and walked over, planting a kiss on Miley's lips before sitting across from her in the window niche. Miley wasted no time in propping her legs across Lilly's lap and removed her headphones.

"Hey there Roadkill, you alright?" asked Lilly, not wanting to sound too worried or overbearing, but it was hard.

"Yes, other than momma won't let me go outside," said Miley, frowning in the most adorable way.

"She's got a good reason, Miles. You did just get struck by lightning." If Lilly were honest with herself, she'd have to admit she, too, preferred to keep Miley inside, forever safe from the danger that awaited her outside.

Miley scrunched up her face and shrugged. "I think if the lightning wants to strike, it will find a way no matter where I am."

Lilly paled at the words and smacked the side of her girlfriend's legs. "Don't say that, Miley. Everyone just wants you to be safe."

Miley nodded half-heartedly, but then, as if remembering something, her face lit up again. "I've got to tell you who I saw!"

Lilly sat silently while Miley recounted her strange visit with her father and brother, and an increased sense of worry seeping into her with every word. Miley seemed more than excited by her story, but to Lilly it spelled only more trouble.

"So, your dead father told you Richard is out to kill you?"

"No, he said **someone** is. But I'm sure it's Richard," said Miley, glad Lilly believed her about the encounter with Jackson and her father.

"I know he's done some suspicious things and I'm not sure I believe everything he says, but what makes you think he wants to kill you?" asked Lilly, not ready to believe such heady accusations about a man who had technically never done anything bad or wrong. Miley filled her in on Richard's odd behavior just prior to the strike and at the hospital, though even that was not enough to condemn him in Lilly's eyes.

"Are you really sure he knew that lightning strike was about to happen? How would he even know that?"

Miley shrugged. "The same way I know?"

"You mean he's a lightning magnet with a penchant for climbing trees?"

Miley smirked. "Look at you using all these big words after going on a college tour."

"Look at you changing the topic when you've run out of plausible answers," countered Lilly, only half joking, but the smirk on her girlfriend's face just would not allow her to be annoyed.

"I say we're done talking," said Miley and stood very abruptly. Lilly watched her go, wondering for a brief moment if her words had angered her girlfriend.

"What're you doing?"

"Closing the door." Miley did exactly that and turned, the grin on her face giving away her intentions. She walked back to the middle of the room and cocked her head at Lilly. "I can't go outside; I've got to get my exercise somehow."

Lilly raised an eyebrow at the insinuation, but had to fight hard to suppress the smirk wanting to erupt on her own face. She stood and walked over to Miley, standing mere inches away. Finally, she grinned. "I guess I can't argue with that." Lilly cupped Miley's cheeks with both hands and pulled her closer, until their lips met in a heated kiss.

**xxx**

She probably should have asked for better instructions before they started playing, but as it stood, Lilly had no idea what she was doing. The cards she held may have been a winning hand for all she knew. A quick glance across the table told her that the three adults were very serious about this game, however, and she tentatively picked some cards from the pile. She realized it had been the wrong move the second she caught Grandma Ruby's eye next to her but it was too late and, truth be told, Lilly couldn't have cared less.

A head suddenly hit her shoulder and she turned to look at her girlfriend. Miley had her face buried against Lilly's shoulder, her own cards spread haphazardly across her part of the table. Lilly nudged her slightly, but the other girl didn't move.

"Miley," Lilly tried, keeping an eye on the game still going on. Susan played her cards and all eyes turned to Miley. "Miles, it's your turn."

Miley merely groaned. "This game is boring."

"You said you wanted to play, hun," said Susan with only half a sigh. Ever since the last lightning strike and Dr. Khauf's dire warning, she had tried to keep Miley as happy as possible, but it wasn't hard to see her daughter was getting more and more upset being cooped up inside.

"I said I wanted to go outside," said Miley, not caring that it was dark and cold outside.

"You know you can't, sweetie. What do you wanna do? We'll do whatever you want," said Susan, just trying to keep Miley inside.

Miley mumbled something incoherent and Lilly shifted to hear her better. Miley's face brushed against her neck and Lilly frowned, pushing her girlfriend back slightly. She cupped Miley's cheeks lightly.

"Miles, you're burning up."

Lilly had hardly finished her sentence before Susan was up out of her chair and next to Miley, feeling her forehead. Miley let herself be pulled in a different direction without complaint, enjoying her mother's attention to the fullest. Susan frowned, as well, and left the dining room, returning a few minutes later with a thermometer. Everyone watched in awkward silence until Susan pulled the thermometer from Miley's mouth.

"101. You've got a fever, hun. Maybe you should go lay down," said Susan, brushing a hand across the top of Miley's head.

"It's 'cause I can't go outside," said Miley seriously, earning herself several scoffs from around the table.

"Why would that give you a fever?" asked Richard, though he merely sounded curious.

"It just does," grumbled Miley, in no mood to get into it with Richard.

Even Susan gave him a look as if to tell him to leave Miley alone when she was obviously sick. Miley grinned at her slight victory, but Susan left her no time to enjoy it, already ushering her daughter out of the room.

"Go lie down; you can watch a movie if you want."

Miley turned and reached a hand out for Lilly, who didn't hesitate to get up, as well. As much as Miley hated to be still and confined, Lilly knew she wouldn't give up a cuddling opportunity if it presented itself. Miley wasted no time jumping on Lilly's back to let herself be carried towards the living room. Susan watched them go, just happy Miley had stopped asking to go outside.

**xxx**

Lilly stopped just inside the living room, surprised at who she saw. She hadn't been completely silent coming in and three heads turned to look at her. Lilly plastered a smile on her face and walked closer, clutching the books in her hands like life preservers. She gave a small wave to the woman closest to her.

"Hi, Mrs. Stewart. I just came by to drop off some books for Miley." Lilly kept her eyes firmly on Susan's face, though she could easily feel the other two pairs of eyes on her. She tried not to look at Richard or the woman by his side.

"Miley is going to sit and read books?" asked Susan, sounding incredulous.

Lilly's lip twitched. "They're my mom's old knitting books. I thought maybe she could use them now that she's stuck inside."

"Maybe you could ask her to knit me a hat next."

Lilly turned to look at Richard, trying hard not to let the incredulity show on her face. "Yeah…" she trailed off, unsure of whether he was serious or had been joking with her, "I'll get right on that."

"Oh, Lilly," said Susan from the side, as if suddenly remembering something, "this is Richard's sister, Mandy."

"Yeah, we've met. Hi again," said Lilly, finally having to acknowledge the dark-haired beauty sitting by Richard's side. If he was bringing this woman to the Stewarts' house, maybe he was telling the truth about her. That or he was an even better liar than she had thought.

At the look of confusion falling over Susan's face, Mandy explained. "We met in Murfreesboro a few months ago. It's nice to see you again."

Lilly returned the smile Mandy gave her, but she knew hers was nowhere near as sincere and brilliant. She shifted uncomfortably and turned her attention back to Susan. "Is Miley in her room?"

"She is. She's still not feeling well. If you can convince her to come down for dinner, you're more than welcome to stay," said Susan and though she was smiling, Lilly could easily read the worry in her eyes. She just nodded and swiftly made her way up the stairs.

Miley's door was closed and Lilly entered without knocking. It was starting to get dark outside and there wasn't much light in the room, leaving Lilly standing in the doorway while her eyes adjusted. It took her several moments to find her girlfriend and she immediately walked over to where Miley was sitting on the floor, between the armchair and a bookshelf. She had a blanket drawn around herself, but looked up when Lilly knelt in front of her and smiled.

"Hey Lils, what'd you bring me?"

Lilly set the books down next to her and leaned forward to kiss Miley's forehead, part in greeting and part to test her girlfriend's temperature. Miley was still running a fever, but, other than her odd choice of sitting spot, she seemed fine. Lilly sat back and moved to squeeze herself next to Miley between the book case. Miley immediately leaned into her side and Lilly had to admit the spot on the floor was almost cozy.

"I brought you some knitting books."

"You want me to knit you more hats?" asked Miley, stretching her legs out across Lilly's.

"Maybe you could try for some socks next time," joked Lilly, but when Miley didn't respond she craned her neck to look at her girlfriend. "You feeling alright, Roadkill?"

"Yes. Did you meet Richard's sister?"

Lilly hesitated, wanting to force Miley to tell her the truth. Miley had been running this fever for five days now and she'd had headaches on and off, but if Mrs. Stewart hadn't filled her in, Lilly would never have known. She knew Miley's mom was worried, but Dr. Khauf had stopped by to examine the girl and reassured her it was nothing serious. Lilly knew how much Miley hated being sick, so she let it go. "I did. Did you?"

Miley shook her head. "I don't want to go downstairs. What's she like?"

"Very pretty. A little too friendly. I'm surprised your mom didn't make you go downstairs," said Lilly, thinking back to the many times Susan and Miley had fought over her avoidance of Richard.

"She's trying to keep me happy 'cause I'm sick," said Miley unperturbed.

"Well, she said I can't eat unless you come downstairs," said Lilly, eyes still on her girlfriend.

"She doesn't want you to eat?"

Lilly nudged Miley lightly in the side. "She wants you to come downstairs and figured I'm the only one who can make it happen."

"How are you gonna do that?" asked Miley innocently, but Lilly could easily hear the beginning stages of a grin.

"You'll have to come downstairs first and then I'll show you," said Lilly, tugging on her girlfriend's hand.

Miley scrunched up her face, but let herself be pulled up nevertheless. "You want me to go eat before you convince me to go eat?"

"I want you to come downstairs with me," said Lilly, not giving the other girl a chance to think too much about it. She knew Miley's curiosity of what Lilly may offer her in reward later would win out eventually anyway, and thus just tugged on her girlfriend's hand to pull her along.

Miley, despite her illness, was surprisingly cordial in greeting Mandy, who was acting as if the girl were her favorite celebrity and she had just won a contest to meet her. Lilly would not have batted an eye to hear Mandy ask Miley to take a picture with her. Mandy had even taken the seat right next to Miley when they sat down for dinner, leaving Lilly across from her girlfriend, while the woman would not stop talking. Lilly watched, both annoyed and amused, while Mandy shoveled more mashed potatoes onto Miley's plate.

"…you'll have to come out to the farm one day, Miley," said Mandy, finally ceasing with the mashed potatoes, though she had left a sizeable mountain on Miley's plate.

Miley did not bother to look at the woman trying so hard to have a conversation with her; she'd managed to get through the past thirty minutes with some nods, grunts and stock answers. "What farm?"

"Oh, the farm…where Richard and I…grew up. You'd love it – there are animals and plenty of trees," said Mandy, though her slight hesitation drew Lilly's attention. Mandy's odd behavior from the moment she'd first met the woman had made Lilly wary, but combined with Richard's increasingly suspicious deeds made her incredibly mistrustful of the pair.

"Where is this farm?" asked Lilly, the emphasis she put on the word 'farm' making it sound like some sort of torture chamber.

"Just a few miles east of Murfreesboro. You're more than welcome to come visit with Miley, Lilly," said Mandy, not missing a beat. Lilly glanced at her girlfriend to see what she thought of this, but Miley seemed to hardly be paying attention, busy digging a hole into her mashed potato mountain.

Without her knowing what to say and with Miley disinterested the conversation quickly died. Susan, still eager to get her daughter, and by association her daughter's girlfriend, to like Richard, tried to start the conversation up again. "Lilly, Mandy did her undergrad work at UCLA."

Lilly knew Susan was only trying to get everyone to like each other, but she would have preferred the awkward silence. She once again had nothing to say, unwilling to talk about her favorite school with a woman who was anything but honest. Mandy, however, jumped at the chance to pick the conversation back up and turned to Lilly.

"You want to go to UCLA?"

Lilly gritted her teeth, partly because she didn't want the woman to know anything about her and partly because she still had not made a decision about her future school and didn't want sick Miley to think about where Lilly would go in the future. She wondered whether Mandy had really gone to UCLA or whether this was another lie on par with Richard's. Maybe she could finally trap one of them.

"Oh yeah, I'm a big fan of the Golden Bears."

Mandy smiled at her, though there was a glint in her eyes that almost made Lilly shrink back. "UCLA are the Bruins."

Their eyes stayed locked for a few seconds, before Lilly nodded numbly. "Of course, I must've just been confused."

Neither Richard nor Susan seemed to know anything was off and engaged Mandy in a different conversation, but even Miley, who was anything but attentive due to her fever, noticed the exchange. She looked at Lilly, who shook her head almost imperceptibly to tell her girlfriend they'd talk about it later. Through the rest of dinner Lilly felt a strong sense of unease that came with the knowledge that something was just not right and she had no way of proving it.

_to be continued_


	12. Chapter 12

Sorry for this delay, again...I guess I just keep forgetting to update. I keep wondering why no one's reviewing yet and then I realize, oops ;) Better late than never, right? Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter XII**

Richard sat, tapping his foot nervously as he occasionally glanced up at the stairway and the closed door atop it. The phone he held in his hand vibrated again and he knew he could no longer ignore it. Taking a deep breath to steel himself, he hit the 'Answer' key and brought the phone to his ear.

"John."

"I've been trying to call you for a while now, Richard. One might think you are ignoring me."

Richard gritted his teeth, not up to playing his superior's games. "Cut to the chase, John. I've got work to do."

"Indeed you do, my friend. And you've done a piss-poor job of it as far as we can tell; Mandy's last report was…concerning, to say the least," said John, his voice not betraying the anger and worry he felt.

"What exactly would you have me do?"

"I don't know, Richard, but I was not chosen to do this job – you were. You promised us you could handle it. You know what's at stake here."

Richard scoffed, angry they had nothing to offer but empty threats and poor ideas. He was the one in the thick of things. "And I am handling it."

"I'm afraid we may have to remove you from the job, after all," said John, rustling some papers as if for emphasis.

"If you do that it will all have been for nothing," answered Richard, exasperated.

"It will all have been for nothing anyway if the girl dies. You've got two more weeks, Richard, after that it's up to the Chamber to decide."

The door atop the staircase opened and closed and Richard risked a quick glance in its direction. Susan was making her way down the stairs and he quickly turned back. "Fine. I've got to go, John."

He did not say 'goodbye' before slamming his phone shut, just in time to face Susan who stood beside him. He saw her quizzical look and shrugged it off, tucking the phone back into his pocket. "My boss. Nothing serious. How's Miley?"

Susan sighed and sat next to him on the sofa, sinking heavily into the cushions. "Not well. Her fever's rising again and her head is hurting a lot. I'm going to call Dr. Khauf."

Richard was too slow to hide the grimace on his face. "Are you sure that's wise? Are there no other doctors you could call?"

She gave him an odd look. "He's been Miley's doctor for months and with all the medications he has her on I wouldn't want someone else to mess something up. What's wrong with Dr. Khauf?"

Richard shook his head. As much as he wanted to voice his opinion on the doctor, he could not give himself away now. "I meant because he's quite far away. Perhaps there's a local doctor that could be here sooner to help Miley. I hate to see her suffering."

Susan gave his upper arm a soft squeeze. "Have I told you how glad I am I found you? I'm gonna go call Dr. Khauf."

She got up to make the call and Richard watched her go with mixed emotions. He threw another glance at the still-closed door on the second floor and leaned back with a heavy sigh. He still had no idea what to do and his time was running out.

**xxx**

"What's that beeping?" Lilly's eyes were narrowed and glued to the small machine sitting on the coffee table.

Dr. Khauf, a serene smile on his face, folded up his stethoscope and turned off the machine. "Nothing to worry about."

"What do you mean 'nothing to worry about'? Miley's been sick for two weeks and it hasn't gotten any better," said Lilly, barely able to conceal her disdain. Dr. Khauf had made regular visits to the Stewarts' house to check on his patient, but his lackadaisical attitude regarding Miley's health had Lilly on edge. Susan seemed to refuse to find anything wrong with the doctor, trusting his care of her daughter, though Lilly could tell Richard, too, was wary of the man, even if he said nothing.

"As I've said before, her body is merely adjusting to the medications and that, coupled with a slight bout of the flu, has got her feeling so down. She should be feeling better in a few days." Dr. Khauf removed the blood pressure cuff from around Miley's arm and stowed it in his bag. Miley, stretched out on the sofa swathed in a multitude of blankets, was hardly paying him any attention.

"Then why is her blood pressure high? She's 17, she shouldn't have high blood pressure," countered Lilly, pointing at the machine that had until a few seconds ago shown the offending numbers.

Dr. Khauf shook his head, though he would not stop smiling. It was irking Lilly to no end. "There are three people in this room; a patient, a well-trained doctor who knows what he's doing and an overprotective girlfriend with no medical knowledge. I'll give you one guess who's who."

Lilly narrowed her eyes, insulted. "I'm not overprotective."

Miley chortled at the statement, drawing her girlfriend's attention. Dr. Khauf, feeling the matter was settled, packed up his bag and squeezed Miley's shoulder as he passed by. "Goodbye Miley, I will see you in a few days."

He said nothing to Lilly as he left the room to go find Susan and she watched him go with mistrustful eyes. If she didn't know better it almost seemed as if he was unconcerned with Miley's health, but he had been her doctor for months and taken great care of her after her accident last year. Maybe Dr. Khauf was right and Lilly was merely overly worried about the flu. She looked down at Miley on the sofa, stretched out more peacefully than she'd ever seen her. There was no overexcited wriggling and antsy bouncing now and the trademark grin only showed up every once in a while, when something was funny enough to bring Miley out of the feverish stupor she appeared to spend her time in.

"Miles," said Lilly and knelt down in front of the sofa. She brushed the back of her hand across Miley's forehead. She still felt hot to the touch, but not as much as this morning. Maybe that was a good sign.

"Lils," said Miley, and though her face was turned to Lilly's, her eyes were unfocused.

Lilly bit her lip, suddenly feeling like crying. She took Miley's hand and squeezed. "I love you, Roadkill."

Miley grinned and blinked, her eyes suddenly focused on Lilly's. "I love you, too, Lils. Why are you crying?"

Lilly swiped her free hand across her cheeks and took a deep breath to try and calm her nerves. "I don't know, Miles. I don't know."

"You wanna cuddle?" Miley was already tugging on her hand to pull her closer. Lilly chuckled and nodded. She stood and pulled her hand from Miley's sweaty one.

"Let me use the bathroom first, then you can have me all evening."

"Okay."

Miley had that excited sparkle in her eyes that normally made Lilly slightly apprehensive, but now it was a welcome sight. She leaned down to kiss Miley's forehead before walking out of the living room. She quickly went to the bathroom and was hurrying back to the living room, when Susan appeared from the kitchen, an odd look on her face. Lilly stopped, a heavy weight suddenly settling in her stomach. Had Dr. Khauf told Susan something he had not wanted to mention in front of Miley? She was just opening her mouth to speak, when Susan held up a folded piece of paper, a guilty look on her face.

"I'm sorry, Lilly…I wasn't meanin' to snoop. Your bag fell over and I…well…how long have you know?"

Lilly took the paper with shaking hands. She hadn't even remembered putting it in her backpack. Her fingers trailed across the paper, unfolding it carefully and she allowed herself a brief glance at the UCLA school seal at the top of the letter, before closing it again. She looked up at Susan and sighed. "I got it a few days ago. I wanted to tell Miley, but well…with her being sick I thought it'd be better to wait. I'm sorry, Mrs. Stewart, I didn't mean to make it appear like I was hiding anything from her."

Susan shook her head. "No, no, Lilly, I wasn't thinking that. I'm just…shocked is all. I am very happy for you, though. Congratulations. I know how much you wanted this."

Lilly nodded, but suddenly she didn't feel excited about her acceptance at all. She tried to swallow away the lump in her throat, but it refused to budge. "I did. I do. I don't know what I want."

"You've got some time to decide, still, don't you?" When Lilly nodded, Susan smiled at her encouragingly. "Well, whatever you decide, it will be alright, Lilly."

Lilly swallowed again, feeling like she wanted to cry again. "Whatever I decide?"

Susan put her hands on Lilly's shoulders, squeezing lightly. "Whatever you decide, hun, I know Miley will understand and she won't love you any less."

Tears pooled in Lilly's eyes again and she had to bite her tongue to keep from losing it altogether. Susan pulled her into a hug and Lilly held on for several moments, taking a few deep breaths to calm herself down. She couldn't explain why she was suddenly so emotional, but Miley being so sick and the thought of moving away from her girlfriend were taking a toll on Lilly. She pulled back and wiped her eyes, offering Susan a weak smile.

"Thanks, Mrs. Stewart. I better get back to Miley before she gets antsy."

Susan nodded and let her pass. Lilly tucked the acceptance letter into her pocket and tried to make her face appear as neutral as possible before she walked back into the living room. And even though Miley couldn't tell anything was wrong, Lilly could not stop thinking about how she would break the news to her girlfriend. Her heart felt heavy.

**xxx**

"Outside."

"No."

"Momma, please."

Susan turned her head to look at her daughter curled up on the living room rug, multiple blankets piled on top of her. Miley was staring at her mother with wide, red eyes and Susan wanted nothing more than to give in. She slowly shook her head, returning her gaze to her magazine. At this point she could not trust Miley to stay inside on her own.

Miley let out a scream of frustration and kicked her legs against the coffee table. The already cold mug of tea sitting on the table was knocked over, spilling its contents onto the floor. Susan stared at her daughter, speechless and shocked. As mischievous and willful as Miley had always been, she had never thrown tantrums. Susan swallowed the lump in her throat and got up quickly to grab a rag from the kitchen to wipe the floor with. She was gone for less than thirty seconds, but when she returned to the living room Miley was already trying to unlock the sliding door onto the back porch.

"Miley!"

Miley did not react, fingers fumbling with the lock that refused to open and instead began to yank on the handle. Susan rushed over to stop her. It was a beautiful spring day outside, sunny with a few clouds and a mild breeze, but when Susan reached Miley she immediately noticed the dark storm clouds rolling in, so quickly it appeared they had formed out of thin air. Thunder growled and shook the glass pane in the door, though Miley was not perturbed, continuing her quest to open the door somehow. Susan wrapped an arm around her daughter's waist to pull her away just as Miley's hands wrapped around a heavy stone figurine on a shelf by the door.

"Miley, stop." Susan's voice shook, but her arms were steady in holding Miley back.

Miley pulled and twisted, clawing at her mother's arms to break free. Susan was almost glad the girl was sick and her strength reduced and she held on as tight as she could, not letting go until Miley started trembling in her arms. Susan maneuvered Miley onto the sofa and grabbed the blankets off the floor. Her eyes never left her daughter, but Miley did not move an inch, as if the fight had drained straight out of her. Susan covered her with the blankets, realizing how badly she was shaking herself.

She had never seen anything like this before. Miley had almost seemed possessed and her behavior had terrified Susan. She looked down at her now sleeping daughter and tried to hold back the sobs wanting to escape.

_to be continued_


	13. Chapter 13

Thank you to everyone who is still reading and especially those of you consistently reviewing this story. If it wasn't for you, I'd likely never remember to get this thing updated! So I think we've hit the homestretch - there are only maybe 2 or 3 chapters left after this. Maybe you'll finally get some answers...or I'll just keep all the secrets ;)

* * *

**Chapter XIII**

A storm raged outside, banging the shutters against the window, while the strong wind howled around the house. It had been going for hours now with no end in sight and every once in a while the lights would flicker, threatening the inevitable power outage. For now, however, the power stayed on and Lilly continued to read by the soft light of the bedside lamp. If someone were to ask what she had been reading for the past hour, she'd be unable to give an answer, for her eyes had scanned the rows and letters and her mouth spoken the words, but her thoughts were running wild.

Other than the noises of the storm outside, she heard nothing and lowered the book. Something nudged her belly and she looked down at Miley curled up across her lap. Miley had been mostly unresponsive all day and hadn't spoken a single word since Lilly's arrival, communicating merely by nods and grunts. Lilly had offered to read to her, unable to think of any other comfort she could offer and Miley had silently accepted by curling up against her girlfriend. Lilly had assumed the other girl had fallen asleep a while ago, but apparently she'd been wrong.

"Why'd you stop?" Miley's voice was raspy and quiet, though Lilly was happy just to hear her speak. There'd been too many days recently where Miley hadn't spoken at all.

"I thought you fell asleep," said Lilly, her own voice soft. She ran her fingers through Miley's hair, though at this point she wasn't even sure it was offering her girlfriend any comfort. In the weeks that Miley had been sick everyone had tried every way they knew how to make her feel better, to no avail.

Miley was silent and Lilly figured she'd gone back into whatever daydream or stupor she now spent most of her time in, but eventually the younger girl spoke. "Every time I sleep…I dream about going outside."

Lilly didn't know what to say to that. Miley's love for the outdoors was no secret, but ever since being forced to stay inside she'd been adamant she needed to be outside. Lilly threw a quick glance at the window above the bed, the wooden shutters closed and bolted shut with a thick lock on the inside that couldn't be broken. Lilly knew Miley had tried and that scared her even more. Miley was not a violent person normally. Lilly sighed, wishing she could just have her girlfriend back, or Susan her daughter, or Miley her own quirky, adorable and energetic self.

"Do you want me to keep reading?" asked Lilly eventually, forcing the what-ifs from her mind. Miley was going to get better, she had to. Anything else was unacceptable.

"When are you going to UCLA?"

Lilly looked down at her girlfriend, stunned. She hadn't mentioned her acceptance to Miley, still waiting for the right time. "What?"

"You got in, didn't you? When are you leaving?" Miley's voice sounded neutral and Lilly couldn't tell if she was upset. Maybe she was just hallucinating.

"How do you know I got in?" asked Lilly, aiming to avoid the question. She felt Miley shrug and sighed. This was as good a time as any to have this conversation, considering the circumstances. "I haven't decided yet, Miles. There's still some time. I also got into Middle Tennessee."

"When do you have to leave for UCLA?" asked Miley, her tone anything but angry or accusatory. She sounded so sure it had Lilly confused.

"**If** I go to UCLA, August. But it's not…"

Miley reached out a hand to grasp Lilly's, effectively cutting her off. "Three months. We better make the most of it."

Lilly swallowed the lump suddenly in her throat, unable to speak. She hadn't yet made a decision, but Miley sounded so certain Lilly didn't know what to think. She squeezed her girlfriend's hand and returned her attention to the book in her hand.

**xxx**

"Thank you for doing this, Richard. I don't know what I'd do without you."

Richard nodded, only half-heartedly listening to Susan's words as she bustled around him getting ready. His eyes were glued to the heap of blankets just barely visible from under the built-in kitchen bench. There had been no discernible movement from the heap since he'd entered the kitchen and someone else may have dismissed it as really nothing more than a bunch of blankets. Richard knew better – the heap was the reason he was here after all.

He felt Susan's hand on his arm and tore his gaze away from the heap to meet her eyes. She was worried, had been for the entire month of Miley's illness and strange behavior, but he understood why she was stalling now. She had hardly left her daughter's side in weeks, but now, faced with losing her job and their sole steady income Susan had little choice but to entrust Miley's well-being to someone else. Richard knew he was not her first choice.

"Lilly will be by as soon as she's done with school. It shouldn't be too long. Miley's really been too sick to move, but do **not** let her out of your sight regardless."

Richard nodded again, though Susan could easily tell she did not have his full attention. "What did I just say?"

"I will not let her out of my sight, Susan, you have my word. Now go, before you're late." Richard put on his best smile, trying to comfort her into leaving. Her eyes strayed to the heap under the bench and back to him, but Richard gave her a reassuring nod and almost walked her to the door, before he remembered the promise he had just made. He gave Susan a quick kiss and ushered her out of the kitchen, waiting the several moments before he heard the click of the front door to turn back to his charge.

From Susan's description, he had half expected Miley to try and make a run for it every time someone's eyes were averted, but the girl had still not moved. Though some of her escape attempts had been quite violent, Miley had not succeeded in getting out of the house. Grandma Ruby, who did not have the strength to restrain her granddaughter, was now unable to safely watch Miley and Susan had turned to Richard for help. He actually felt touched Susan trusted him with her daughter; he'd come to care for the woman quite a bit, even if it had not been planned, and was almost sad he'd have to break that trust.

"So, Miley, looks like it's just you and me now," said Richard and sat on the bench perpendicular to the one Miley was under. He received no answer and though he honestly couldn't say he was surprised, he frowned nevertheless. He'd known Miley close to a year now and he knew she didn't trust him, hated him even, but she'd usually resorted to a snide comment or glare to let him know just how much she did not want him around. Richard couldn't remember the last time she'd even acknowledged his presence.

"Miley, come on." He wasn't sure exactly what he wanted her to do, but Richard knew he was running out of time. His superiors were furious with him and Miley was wasting away without explanation. Richard drummed his fingers on the table, eyes scanning the many papers spread out before him. Blood test results and scans and examinations, all negative, of course, and more bills than he knew Susan could afford.

Richard glanced at the bench he knew Miley to be under and took a deep breath. He stood and moved the table away from the bench. Richard crouched down in front of the heap of blankets, still seeing no movement. He grabbed the nearest blanket and stood, pulling the entire heap, and Miley, out from under the bench.

Miley did not fight him, not as he pulled her out from her hiding spot and not when he removed the blankets covering her. Richard looked down at the girl, her blue eyes staring up at him unseeing. She started shivering, lying on her thin blanket on the cool kitchen floor in her sweat pants and tank top, her feet bare as always. Richard crouched down and put his hand on her shoulder. Miley did not react.

"Miley," he said. If he hadn't seen her shivering, noticed her breathing Richard may have very well assumed she was dead.

Richard stood and reached for his phone, his eyes never leaving Miley on the ground. It only took two rings before someone picked up. "Mandy."

"Richard, what the hell? The Chamber is about to convene a meeting."

Richard shook his head. "Look, you've got to talk to them. She's going to die."

"Richard…" Mandy sounded shocked, but he could tell she didn't completely believe him. "What are you going to do?"

"I know what to do, Mandy. I'm not waiting anymore."

"**They **haven't figured out yet what to do, how can you possibly know?"

Richard looked at Miley. The girl's eyes had closed in the meantime, but her lips were moving. He couldn't hear what she was saying, but Richard knew. He just knew. "Miley told me. I've got to do this."

Mandy sighed, frustration showing through. "They won't be happy."

"They'll be fine. Come meet me at the site." Richard didn't leave Mandy time to ask questions. He hung up and tucked the phone back into his pocket.

He stood besides Miley, trying to gather his nerves as he watched her. Finally he took a deep breath and exhaled. "Come on, Miley, we're going on a trip."

Richard bent down and picked up the catatonic girl. Miley was dead weight, but did not protest nor fight as he draped her over his shoulder. He grabbed his keys and headed straight for the front door, hesitating only a second before he opened it.

The intense sunshine blinded him only momentarily. As soon as Richard stepped out onto the porch the sky darkened. Clouds appeared as if out of nowhere and he glanced at the sky. The dark front rolling in was almost enough to make him turn around. What if he was wrong about everything?

A sudden wind rustled the leaves of the trees surrounding the house. Thunder sounded in the distance, quickening the pace of Richard's heart. Then he heard Miley groan, the first sound she'd made in a long time, and he quickly made his way down the porch and towards his truck. Richard noticed the familiar SUV coming down the road towards the driveway and he cursed. Throwing his truck doors open he somehow managed to squeeze Miley into the backseat just as the first raindrops started to fall. He turned, ready to slam the doors shut, but Lilly was already running towards him.

"What the hell are you doing?" Lilly at first thought she was hallucinating when she'd seen Richard carrying Miley to his truck. There certainly could have been a host of good explanations, but her brain skipped past all of them and immediately settled on 'Richard is kidnapping my girlfriend'.

Richard was a great liar, he was smooth and calm under pressure, had those warm eyes and nice smile to get anyone to believe what he was saying, but in that moment he could think of nothing to say. He decided to ignore Lilly and slammed the door shut.

"Hey, let Miley go!" Lilly reached him just in time to stop Richard from climbing into the truck. She knew it was stupid to attack a grown man who probably had twice her strength, but she wasn't thinking about anything but Miley. "Miley!"

Richard threw a glance into his backseat, but Miley still wasn't moving. He pulled away from Lilly's grip and turned on her. "Let go or I will hurt you."

The rain began to pick up, foreshadowing the arrival of the dark clouds. Lilly was terrified, for Miley, for herself, but she did not believe Richard would really hurt her. She yanked open the door to the backseat, revealing Miley curled up on the seat unmoving. "Miley can't be outside. She's going to die!"

The panic overwhelmed her and she reached for her girlfriend, even though she had no idea how she'd carry the girl back inside. A hand suddenly wrapped around her arm and pulled her back. Richard was much stronger than her and Lilly stood no chance no matter how hard she fought. He turned her to face him, his dark eyes boring into hers.

"I'm really sorry, Lilly."

_to be continued..._

Richard reached out and brought his palm to her forehead. Before Lilly had a chance to react, she was enveloped by blackness.


	14. Chapter 14

Alright, here it is...the showdown! There's one more chapter after this and an epilogue probably, but for those of you getting sad it's almost over, I had always planned to write a third part. I know the fandom's kind of dwindled down to nothing and with it most of the readers it seems, but I hope there's enough interest for me to finish this trilogy. I've also toyed with the idea of publishing these first two Lightning stories after all your overwhelming responses, but we'll see how it goes. For now, enjoy this chapter and know that it may not all be over just yet ;)

* * *

**Chapter XIV**

The next time Lilly came to, she was lying in the dirt on her back, the sunrays blinding her eyes. She blinked several times, unsure at first of where she was and, more importantly, why she seemed to be lying on the ground. Puffy clouds lazily strolled across the blue sky above her. Lilly thought about how much Miley loved stretching out in the grass under the sky to watch the clouds, how peaceful it was to just watch her. Miley. Lilly sat up with a start, the memories flooding back. She groaned at the sudden movement and shook her head to clear it.

Her SUV still stood a few yards away where she had left it, driver's side door wide open. Richard's truck, and with it Miley, was long gone, deep ruts carved into the dirt where he had peeled out of the driveway. The dark clouds and rain from before had lifted and Lilly wondered exactly how long she had been out. Scrambling to her feet, she quickly made her way to the SUV, but then realized she had no idea where to go. She noticed her phone on the passenger seat and quickly dialed Miley's number, hoping against all odds she'd receive an answer. Even though she had expected it, her stomach dropped when the voicemail picked up. Lilly started the SUV and drove off.

She hadn't given any thought at all to where she was going, but found herself in front of the familiar diner less than ten minutes later. Lilly was absolutely positive Richard hadn't taken lethargic Miley out for an afternoon snack, but she had nowhere else to look. Richard's truck wasn't in the parking lot, but Lilly nevertheless sprinted inside, heart hammering as a renewed sense of hope surged within her chest. As always, heads turned in her direction when she entered and after a year in Crowley Lilly recognized every single patron in the restaurant.

Susan was serving a table, but Lilly did not hesitate to rush over to the woman. The odd and curious stares she was receiving made her try to school her face into something akin to relaxed, but the mask of panic had a way of forcing itself through.

"Richard took Miley and I don't know where they went!" Her words came out in a harried jumble, part incoherent and part desperate. Lilly hadn't even realized how close she was to losing it until she heard her own voice.

"What?" Susan turned, confused. She could have sworn Lilly had said something about Richard and Miley, but she knew that couldn't be true. There was a sheer panic in Lilly's eyes, so palpable Susan grabbed her arm to pull her off to the side. More curious faces turned to watch them. "Take a deep breath, Lilly. Tell me what happened."

"I got to the house. I saw Richard carrying Miley to his truck. When I tried to stop him he knocked me out and when I came to they were gone," said Lilly, her voice eerily calm now as she recounted what had happened. The realization that Miley wasn't there and Susan had no idea of what had transpired settled in, taking with it the last vestiges of hope she'd been clinging to.

Susan watched the girl for any signs she was lying, but she knew no one could fake the panic and desperation she was witnessing. Lilly's words still did not make sense to her, she could not fathom how any of this would be possible. Richard had promised her to watch Miley, to keep her inside, and she trusted Richard implicitly. There had to be another explanation. "Did something happen to Miley? Did Richard take her to a hospital? I've got to call him."

Lilly wanted to argue the unlikeliness of that scenario, but figured it would make no difference. Susan had been believing creepy kidnapper Richard over Miley for months. She just nodded numbly and jerked her thumb towards the door. "I'm gonna go out and look for Miley."

Susan hesitated for just a split-second before she took her apron off and pushed Lilly towards the door. Lilly was right – they had to find Miley, who'd been so horribly sick and was in danger just being outside. "I'll come with. I can call Richard from the car."

Susan did not even waste time notifying her boss she was leaving, figuring the diner's busybodies would make sure he knew. Lilly led her out of the door and to the SUV, though once they were sitting inside they realized they had no idea where to start looking. They weren't just looking for Miley, who could normally be found in a tree or swimming hole, but for Richard, who was so impossible to read there was no way in knowing what he would do next. Susan called Richard's cell phone, but he did not pick up.

Lilly pulled onto the deserted country road, thoughts running wild. Miley was somewhere, with Richard, in grave danger and she could do nothing about it. Her eyes scanned the blue sky up ahead and the white clouds made her heart clench painfully. Something caught her eye and she looked towards the wooded area to her left. Dark clouds with violent red streaks hung heavy over the trees, but unlike the storms so common to this area, they weren't moving in or coming closer.

She slammed on the breaks and turned onto the unpaved road to her left, the tires squealing from the force of the turn. Susan gripped onto the door tightly and glanced at Lilly in the driver's seat. "Where are you going?"

Lilly didn't look at the woman, instead pointing at the dark front now straight ahead of them. "Miley."

Susan, uneasy from the implication, but hopeful of Lilly's intuition, clutched the door a little tighter. Her eyes were focused on the dirt road ahead of them, flanked by thick trees on one side and open pasture to the other. She swallowed. "It looks like those clouds are over Caleb's Point."

"What's Caleb's Point? I've never heard of it."

Susan smiled wryly, her face somber. "The place where nothing grows and nothing can be built. The place Miley was born."

Lilly threw a quick, shocked glance at Susan, before returning her attention to the road. No matter the confusion, this was not the time for questions. Neither woman spoke as the SUV barreled closer to the ominous clouds over Caleb's Point.

**xxx**

The rain had followed him the entire way to Caleb's Point, increasing in ferocity the closer he got. Even with the windshield wipers on 'high', visibility was near zero and more than once the truck had hit a major pothole. Richard was holding the steering wheel with a death grip, more worried about what he had done than the poor weather. He had not heard Miley move nor make a sound since throwing her in the back, but he did not dare turn to look in case he hit another pothole.

At long last he could make out the large clearing up ahead and as he pulled up he noticed Mandy's car already parked on the side. Richard pulled up next to her and leaned back in the seat to take a deep breath. This was it; he could not be wrong about this. He exhaled and stepped out into the monsoon-like rain. Mandy appeared next to him before he could even open the backseat, looking completely ridiculous in her drenched business suit. Richard only threw her a cursory glance before opening the door to the backseat.

"Richard, will you please tell me what the hell you're thinking?"

"I'm not."

Richard stripped the blanket off of Miley and pulled her out of the truck. She hardly weighed anything as he lifted her into his arms. Wearing close to nothing she was soaked through almost as soon as Richard moved away from the truck.

"You're not what? Thinking? Richard, if you don't tell me **right** now what is going on I **will** call the Chamber." Mandy followed him closely, terrified his lack of answers could spell trouble. The ground underneath was starting to get logged with water and she nearly fell trying to maneuver it with her heels. Mandy stripped them off, rushing after Richard who was carrying Miley towards a blackened circle in the middle of the clearing.

"Richard!"

Richard refused to be deterred and he knew if he talked to Mandy she could very well talk him out of this, so he kept walking determinedly. He looked down at the unresponsive girl in his arms. The rain beat forcefully against her face. Miley opened her eyes and Richard nearly dropped her in surprise. She groaned and suddenly jerked in his arms, though he held onto her tightly. Then Miley moved again, as if trying to wriggle out of his grasp, but thankfully he had reached the center of the black circle. Richard kneeled down and set Miley onto the quickly forming mud below. She looked up at him, her blue eyes piercing his and before he could move away, she'd grabbed his wrist.

"You're gonna be fine, Miley," said Richard, trying to meet the intensity of her eyes with his own. He stood, her hand sliding from his wet arm as he stepped away.

Richard moved backwards out of the circle, his eyes trained on Miley as she stretched out in the mud, turning her face towards the rain as if to soak in every drop. He bumped into something soft and turned, grabbing Mandy's arm to pull her with him. Thunder boomed above, so close it made Richard's ears hurt. Mandy let herself be pulled along, but she was resisting just enough to make him yank on her arm harder.

"Richard! Right now: What is going on?"

He yanked on her arm again and pulled her towards their cars. There was a soft hum in the air, just enough to make his hairs stand on end and he sprinted the rest of the way until he reached his truck. He turned, ignoring angry and confused Mandy reaching his side to watch the black circle he had just left. Miley had not moved from the position he'd left her in and for the millionth time since he'd started this Richard worried he had done the wrong thing. He knew this was crazy, stupid even, homicidal maybe. He glanced at Mandy's terrified eyes and back at Miley. Richard moved towards the circle. The soft hum exploded into a bolt of brilliant light, swallowing the entire black circle with its intensity.

**xxx**

Raindrops were starting to fall the closer they got to Caleb's Point. They had been few at first, but now they were falling in rapid procession. The black sky up ahead indicated worse weather was yet to come, but it only convinced Lilly all the more this was where they would find Miley. Neither she nor Susan had spoken since they'd turned onto this road and though Lilly found the silence stark and overwhelming, it allowed her to concentrate on maneuvering the SUV safely across the potholed and muddy road.

The rain now picked up even further, beating out a staccato rhythm against the windshield. Lilly moved the windshield wipers to 'High', but did not slow down her high-speed chase across the bumpy road. She leaned forward to gain better visibility, but it was near nothing at this point and she just hoped they wouldn't crash into some unforeseen obstacle.

"I think I see some cars up ahead. We should be almost there."

Lilly nearly jumped when Susan broke the silence. She tried to make out the shapes the woman was pointing at farther ahead on the right, but other than some dark blobs she could see little else. A few seconds later Lilly could make out a large open area up ahead, perhaps a pasture or field and noticed one of the cars Susan had mentioned seemed to be a large truck. The rain was beating down relentlessly now, coming down as if in sheets and preventing her from seeing much of anything else. Nothing could have obstructed her view from the lightning bolt, however, as it rocketed out of the dark clouds towards the ground up ahead. A thunderous crack accompanied it, startling her with such intensity she nearly lost control of the SUV. She swerved, hitting a pothole. Mud splashed onto the windows and Lilly turned the steering wheel sharply.

"Miley!"

Susan's voice startled Lilly again, her heart pounding in her chest. She slammed on the breaks, stopping just a few yards from the truck parked in the clearing she hadn't even realized she'd entered. Lilly glanced at Susan and noticed the woman was crying, already rushing to get out of the truck and she realized what had just happened. Tears pooled in her eyes and she reached for the door handle with shaking hands. If Miley really was here, if there had been lightning, Lilly swallowed, unable to finish the thought. She exited the SUV and realized for the first time it was no longer raining. The grass underneath her feet was waterlogged and soaked her sneakers immediately, but the sky was as blue as if nothing had ever happened.

"You killed her!"

Lilly looked up. Susan was attacking Richard with her fists, crying hysterically, while he tried to hold her off. Lilly hadn't even noticed him before, nor Mandy who stood drenched and miserable looking by his side. She walked towards them, each step flooding her shoes with more water and she tried to focus on the feeling in order to push all other thoughts aside. Susan's desperate screaming rang in her eyes, but she couldn't focus on that, either, because as soon as she looked up, Lilly saw the body lying in burned circle of grass a few hundred feet up ahead. She nearly faltered, but managed to stay upright. A painful lump formed in her throat and she clenched her hands to stop them from shaking.

This couldn't be right. This wasn't the way it was supposed to go. Lilly shook her head, forcing the idiotic idioms away. She glanced at her right, where Richard was trying hard to hold up a crying Susan who was still trying to beat him with her fists. Richard. Lilly's eyes narrowed and she turned, marching straight up to him. She pulled her fist back and punched him in the jaw with all her might, trying to release all the anger and despair growing inside of her. He hardly moved, instead shooting her a scathing glare that still was not enough to conjure any sort of fear inside of her. He could kill her, too, for all she cared.

"Stop! Both of you **stop**!" yelled Richard, grabbing Susan by the shoulders to shake her. His jaw stung where Lilly had punched him and he tried to move out of her reach.

Lilly couldn't imagine stopping wanting to kill Richard, ever. He had taken her Miley from her and Lilly hadn't even done anything to help her. She advanced on him again, when she heard it. Susan had stopped yelling and through the sudden silence they could hear something that sounded like laughter. Lilly turned her head to the left, noticing Mandy standing on the edge of the black circle. For a moment she thought Mandy was laughing at the body before her, but then she realized it couldn't be true, because no one laughed like that. No one but Miley.

Lilly took a few staggering steps towards the circle, but when she noticed movement coming from the body on the ground she broke out into a full run. Mandy hadn't moved into the circle and for a split-second Lilly hesitated, but then threw caution to the wind. Her sneakers sank into the mud and she lost her balance, falling onto all fours. Lilly sat back on her heels and stared mesmerized at the sight before her.

Miley was rolling in the mud, already covered practically from head to toe, all the while laughing with such wild abandon it made Lilly's heart swell. She had been so lethargic, sick and pitiful for months now, Lilly hadn't even remembered what Miley's infectious laughter sounded like. Now, however, she was rolling in that mud as if she had never even been sick. Miley lifted her head as if noticing Lilly for the first time and smiled, her white teeth standing out in stark contrast to her mud covered face. Lilly could hear footsteps behind her in the mud and within seconds Susan was by Miley's side, hugging her daughter.

Miley just laughed. "Momma, Lilly, I'm outside!"

Susan pulled back, trying to wipe the mud from Miley's face with mixed results. "Sweet pea, are you okay? Are you hurt? Is your heart okay?"

Miley looked down at herself and made a face as if noticing the mud for the first time. "I'm dirty."

Lilly started laughing hysterically; it bubbled from her lips unwillingly and tears started running down her face. Why was life with Miley always such a rollercoaster ride? She covered her face with her hands, realizing too late they were covered in mud and when she looked back up, Miley was mere inches from her face.

"Are you okay, Lils?"

Before she could answer she felt someone move behind her and turned to find Richard standing in the mud to her side. Susan stood, ready to attack him again. "You could have killed her! What were you thinking, Richard? Have you been out to get her this entire time?"

Miley grabbed her mother's arm to stop her from charging at Richard, though her eyes never left his face. Her voice was serious when she spoke, one of few times in her life. "Richard saved my life."

"Miley, you don't know what you're talking about," said Susan, not to be deterred from attacking her boyfriend.

"No momma, you're wrong." Miley pushed herself up, dripping mud as she stood and looking so ridiculous Lilly nearly snorted in laughter. "Richard saved me. I feel fine now. We should've never listened to that stupid doctor."

"Honey, that makes no sense. Dr. Khauf has been trying to help you and Richard here risked your life. You've telling me for months he was out to get you and now when I finally believe you, you say he saved your life?" Susan sounded just as confused as Lilly herself felt. She, too, stood up, waiting expectantly for an answer from Miley.

Miley shook her head. She took a step closer to Richard, the two practically sizing each other up. "How did you know? You knew at the trail before I got struck and now this. How?"

Richard looked almost uncomfortable at the intensity of her stare, an expression Lilly had never seen on his face before. "It's a bit of a story. Maybe we should get home first, get you cleaned up."

Instead of being suspicious of his answer, as Lilly had expected, Miley nodded and started walking towards the cars. "Good. I'm starving."

Not knowing what else to do and confused by the sudden reappearance of Miley's energy, everyone else just followed. When Miley reached the edge of the circle Mandy smiled at her, so dazzlingly it irked Lilly. Miley looked at Richard just behind her. "Mandy's not your sister, is she?"

Richard smiled wryly and shook his head. "No, not at all."

"I knew it." Miley grinned triumphantly and grabbed Lilly's hand, pulling her along towards the cars parked up ahead.

_to be continued_


	15. Chapter 15

Once again, sorry for the delay, I didn't mean to leave you all hanging on that pseudo-cliffhanger! Thanks to all of you who have been reviewing this entire time; you're truly what kept me writing through all those times of writer's block. This is the last chapter, but there'll be a short epilogue in a few days (as long as I remember). I'm still planning on writing the third part, but I may write a little "palette-cleansing" fic in between. Hopefully you'll all stick around for the third part, and anything else I may write! Now, on to some of the answers ;)

* * *

**Chapter XV**

Lilly dug through the box in her trunk, fishing out single bags of crackers, cookies and chips. Gathering them in her arms she moved to close the trunk, but felt so shaky suddenly she leant back against the bumper. Too many questions confounded her mind and the sudden realization she had once again come desperately close to losing Miley crashed down upon her. Lilly closed her eyes and took a deep breath, forcing the images of sick, lethargic, dying Miley out of her mind. When she opened her eyes again she pushed off the bumper determinedly, walking over to the back of Richard's truck.

Miley sat on the lowered tailgate, swinging her legs, digging her muddy fingers into her fifth pudding cup. The three adults crowded around her, Richard on her right with Mandy just to his side, while Susan tried fervently to wipe the mud off of her daughter with a wet towel. As desperate as Miley had been to get somewhere with food, once they'd all reached their cars they realized none of them were willing to let mud-covered Miley ride in their car. Susan, hovering over Miley worse now than ever before, had refused to let her daughter ride in the back of Richard's truck and so they had ended up like this – plying Miley with whatever snack foods they could find while Susan de-gunked her.

Lilly dropped her stash of snacks onto the tailgate next to Miley, noticing the array of empty pudding cups littering the back of the truck. She looked at her girlfriend, who offered her a bright smile, before reaching for the bag of chips. Lilly glanced at the empty cups again and threw a derisive look at Mandy to her left.

"What adult has a family size pack of pudding cups in their car?" Lilly raised an eyebrow, the skepticism shining through her voice clearly. Although Miley seemed no longer apprehensive of Richard and his fake sister that didn't mean Lilly suddenly trusted them.

Mandy, however, just smiled that annoying smile again and cocked her head. "An adult who one day expects to have to feed Miley's ravenous appetite. She likes pudding cups."

Miley snorted in agreement, but Lilly didn't take her eyes off of the woman. She narrowed her eyes. "What, are you like the president of her fan club?"

"There's a Miley Fan Club?" asked Miley, throwing the now empty bag of chips onto the pile of pudding cups, before moving on to the next package.

Lilly rolled her eyes, but couldn't quite hide the smirk wanting to escape. "Yeah, Miles, there's a Fan Club."

"She's not completely wrong, you know," said Mandy, as if wanting to defend Miley from mean, evil Lilly.

Lilly glared at the woman and took a step towards her. When Richard moved back, Lilly almost smirked again. "How about you shut up with the bullshit and give us some real answers now?"

"Yes, I'd like to know, too, why I shouldn't call the police on you. You tried to kill my daughter," said Susan, standing up from trying to wipe off Miley's legs.

Richard sighed and moved towards Susan, but she took a step back away from him. "I did not try to kill Miley, Susan; I've told you a dozen times."

"Right, and I'm supposed to take you at your word after lying to me, to us, for months? You must be so proud of yourself, fooling a worried mother and her daughter."

"I knew he was up to no good all along," said Miley, stuffing a handful of chips, covered in what could have been mud or pudding, into her mouth.

Susan smiled and brushed a hand across her daughter's hair, the guilt of the mistrust and anger she had shown Miley over Richard hitting her full force. She had let her own loneliness and need for companionship override her mothering instincts, her daughter's safety. Gritting her teeth, Susan tried to shake off the guilt, or at best, push it away until she could deal with it later. "I think it's best if you and your 'sister' get out of here and never show your faces again. I'm going to take Miley to see Dr. Khauf to make sure you haven't done more damage to her."

"No!" Richard's reaction startled both Susan and Lilly. He grabbed Susan's shoulders, as if to shake her, his intense eyes burning into hers. "Look, Susan, I know I've lied to you and I'm sorry, but you have to trust me when I tell you this: You cannot take Miley back to that doctor."

Susan pulled away from him, angry. "Why the hell not? He's done nothing but try to help her, unlike you!"

Richard turned to look at Mandy, who sighed heavily and came closer. "We think Dr. Khauf is who was making Miley sick."

"That makes absolutely no sense. Why would he do that?"

"It makes sense," said Miley, sounding completely unperturbed as she continued to eat the cookies now spread across her muddy lap. "Daddy did say someone was trying to kill me."

"What?" Susan turned to look at her daughter, confusion evident not just on her face, but Richard's and Mandy's as well. Lilly was the only one who knew about Miley's lightning induced vision.

Miley looked up, suddenly realizing all eyes were on her. She shrugged. "I saw Daddy and Jackson after the last lightning strike. Daddy was very confusing, but he did say someone was trying to kill me. I guess it wasn't Richard, after all."

"No, it wasn't," said Richard, sounding almost grumpy about the continued assumption he was after Miley.

Susan, however, was a lot more shaken by Miley's nonchalant admission and closed her eyes with a heavy sigh. "Child, why does this keep happening to you?"

Miley looked at her mother somberly. "I don't know, momma. But I think Richard does."

Susan looked at the man she had trusted so implicitly over the past few months. She didn't want to rely on him for any answers, not after this huge betrayal, but if someone could finally explain to her the mystery that was her daughter, she'd have to swallow her misgivings. "Okay, Richard. The truth this time."

Before he even got a chance to start, Mandy stopped him with a hand on his arm. "Richard, the Chamber explicitly stated…"

"How about you stay out of this, Mandy?" said Susan, throwing the other woman the sternest look she could muster. She turned her attention back to Richard, who looked the most flustered she had ever seen him. "Start with this 'Chamber'. It sounds like some sort of secret society."

Richard sighed. "I suppose in a way it is. Mandy and I both work for the Chamber; it's an organization whose sole purpose is the protection of an ancient kind of…energy."

"Energy?"

Richard nodded, seemingly frustrated with his own answer. "To fully explain, I have to start at the beginning. And the beginning is right here, on this very soil."

"Crowley Corners?" asked Susan.

"Crowley Corners, but most importantly right here, Caleb's Point. Do you know who Caleb's Point is named after?" asked Richard, but did not wait for a response. "Sometime in the 1700s, long before there was a Crowley Corners, there was a house here. The rancher that owned it lived here with his wife and two sons, Caleb and Josiah. They were twins, incredibly close and very intelligent, but they had a reputation for being weird, off somehow. The few other locals avoided them and probably for good reason – just after the boys' 18th birthday the ranch and half the town burned down mysteriously, killing dozens of people, among them the rancher and his wife. Many people think this is where the curse started, but it had always been there."

"What curse?" asked Lilly skeptically.

Richard spread his arms, motioning at the area surrounding them. "Here nothing can grow and nothing can be built. Every structure built upon this plot has burned or crumbled down; every seed planted died. An ancient energy lies below the soil, offering power and knowledge beyond imagination to those who know how to use it.

Caleb used this energy to rain destruction down upon his family, his town. Josiah had only one way to stop his brother – to kill him. He vowed to never let this energy fall into wrong hands again. Josiah created the Chamber, recruiting others like him who had the ability to use energy, but believed it needed protecting."

"'Ability to use energy'. Are you talking about magic or something?" Lilly was growing more skeptical by the minute. This whole story sounded like something out of a cheap fantasy novel.

"I suppose in a way, yes," said Richard, finding it difficult to put everything into words. He'd been keeping secrets from these people for so long it felt strangely nerve-wracking to be telling them the truth.

Miley snorted from her spot on the tailgate, drawing everyone's attention. "So, you're like a wizard?"

Richard made a face at the question, but inclined his head. "If you want to call it that, yes."

"Did you go to Hogwarts?" Miley laughed at her own joke.

Richard threw her an exasperated look and if it hadn't been for these displays of frustration and anxiety so unusual on his face, Lilly would not have believed one word. He'd been lying for months with that calm aloofness; now that he was nervous and affected after all by Miley's eccentric comments Lilly couldn't help but give some credence to his words.

Susan interrupted, sounding a lot less convinced than Lilly. "I don't see what all of this has to do with Miley."

"Miley was born here, on this very spot at the moment of a planetary alignment, a solar eclipse. The last time there had been such an alignment, Caleb accessed the energy to burn down the town and kill his parents."

"I thought Caleb is dead; who cares about the planets aligning now?" Lilly couldn't help but feel annoyed at this outlandish story that was serving only to confuse her more.

It was Mandy that spoke this time, her voice more serious than Lilly had heard it before. "Just as there is the Chamber sworn to protect the false use of the energy, there is a group of people wanting to use it for their own advancement. They have been trying since Caleb's death to access the energy, but without the planetary alignment it seems impossible."

"I still don't get it." Lilly shook her head, wondering why normally curious Miley had yet to ask a real question.

"When Miley was born, the energy focused on her. Miley's birth thwarted those aiming to use the energy and we think without Miley they cannot access it."

There was silence while everyone seemed to process Richard's words, though even with this explanation nothing seemed clear. Miley was the first to speak. "So, I'm a wizard, too?"

"No," said Richard sternly, not wanting to get off track and drawn into an impossible argument with Miley.

"So I can't go to Hogwarts?"

"There's no Hogwarts!" Richard's voice had taken on the kind of annoyance common with people who didn't find Miley positively adorable, but Lilly felt too shell-shocked still to laugh at him.

"Oh." Miley sounded almost upset about it. She seemed to think for a few moments then looked back at him. "What about guardian of the magic energy power thingy?"

Richard suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. "No. You're just…Miley, okay? There's no one else like you. All we know is that you are very likely the only thing to stand between this energy and the destruction of maybe the entire world." The intensity of Richard's words and eyes boring into her was not lost on Miley, who frowned and looked away.

"So Miley's connected to this energy and it's a good thing? That still makes no sense, Richard." Susan still wasn't convinced, but the skeptical tone from earlier no longer dominated her voice.

Richard ran a hand through his short hair, clearly frustrated. He'd never expected them to believe everything right away, but it was frustrating to finally be telling the truth and have it all sound so crazy no one gave it any credence. "Doesn't it? There is energy all around us: in nature, inside us. Miley is just much more connected to it than we are. She's been sick for weeks, inexplicably, despite all the best 'treatments', despite staying away from the evil lightning. The moment she was struck by lightning she was cured."

"Oh so the lightning cured her, but also killed her daddy and brother and knocked her out of two trees? I don't think so. This is the biggest load of crap I've ever heard." Susan was starting to sound more angry than skeptical, as if she had started to believe some of the things said and absolutely refused to let herself.

"Look, we don't know yet why the lightning strikes keep happening or what effect they're having on her, but obviously it has not killed her," said Richard, trying to appease the anger on Susan's face.

"I don't think we need to listen to this bullshit anymore."

Richard turned to Miley, knowing she was his only chance of convincing everyone he was telling the truth. "Miley, every time you've been struck, was there something going on beforehand? You were feeling ill, or upset or were in danger somehow?"

Miley shrugged, eyes focused on her swinging legs. "Maybe. I don't remember all of them that well. I was upset on the Lightning Tree and I fell off it at the mayor's inauguration before I got struck. But on the trail last month I felt fine, so you're wrong."

"At the trail…you remember those stones around the circle? The symbols?" asked Richard, waiting for Miley to nod before he continued. "Those are the symbols used by Caleb's people. They use them to summon and drain energy."

Miley looked at Richard, surprise showing in her eyes. "You let me stand in that circle!"

"I wanted to see if you knew. You recognized the symbols, didn't you?"

Miley nodded. Perhaps if she hadn't seen her dead father and brother she'd be less likely to believe Richard, or if she hadn't felt herself an inch from slipping into nothingness before the lightning blasted the darkness away, but all the strange incidences surrounding her life suddenly started making sense. She heard her mother make an impatient noise and watched as the woman walked around to the front of the truck, opened the passenger side door and came back around to the tailgate a few moments later, holding something in her hand.

Susan tossed the folders Miley had found weeks ago onto the tailgate for everyone to see and crossed her arms. "Explain those. Are these other girls you've tried to kill?"

"I thought it's rude to go through Richard's things, momma," said Miley, reaching for the folder with her name on it.

Richard smirked at Miley's comment, but seeing the angry, stern look on Susan's face he quickly dropped it. Mandy pushed past him to grab the folders, her own expression quickly darkening. "Richard, why do you still have these? The Chamber won't be pleased."

"This Chamber really doesn't sound like much fun," said Miley, shaking some crumbs out of her now empty snack packages.

"No, Miley, you're right, they don't." Richard took the folders back from Mandy and held them up for Susan to see. "When we heard of the circumstances surrounding Miley's birth, we didn't know who she was. She was born here, without doctors, under the watchful eye of our enemy. All we knew was that the baby was a girl and that she was born between the 22nd and 24th of November. These are all the girls born in Beauford County during that time. We've been watching them all since birth to determine which one was the right one; they were crossed out when we determined they were not who we were looking for. After the incident on the Lightning Tree, we knew Miley was the one and I was assigned to protect her."

"So, you're like Miley's guardian?" Lilly had been silent for a while, trying to take in all the crazy information. She wished she could laugh at Richard's outlandish story, but she had known Miley a year now and couldn't just ignore all the crazy things continuing to happen around her girlfriend. As unbelievable as Richard's story was, it was the only explanation they had ever had.

Richard nodded. "In a way, yes. The Chamber needed someone to watch over Miley and ensure our enemy did not succeed in taking or killing her. I was chosen to do the job."

"And did they also choose you to deceive me and pretend you were interested in me?" Susan hadn't adjusted her posture since bringing out the folders, arms still crossed as she glared at Richard.

He looked uncomfortable, shifting his weight. "I had to get close to you, yes, to gain your confidence. But I wasn't supposed to fall for you, Susan."

Susan scoffed, clearly not convinced. Mandy stepped forward, the look on her face anything but pleased, though she sounded sincere when she spoke. "He's telling the truth, Susan. Richard got into a bit of trouble when you two started dating. It wasn't part of the plan."

"How do we know **you're **not the bad guys? Maybe it's the other people who want to help Miley. Maybe I should call them, see what they have to say," said Susan, her tone antagonistic.

"I think that would be a bad idea." Richard hadn't tried to get close to her again, understanding how mad Susan was and how outlandish his story sounded, but that didn't mean he could give up his mission. He had to continue keeping Miley safe.

"Me too," Miley chimed in, offering her mother an innocent look. She may have mistrusted Richard for months, but now that everything made sense to her she saw no reason not to believe him. Everything had changed in that split-second, right before the lightning strike when he'd set her down in the mud and she'd seen the concern in his eyes. Richard had never wanted to harm her.

"Hun, you're confused."

"You said that when I thought Richard was evil, too," said Miley under her breath, though Susan heard her easily.

"Miley."

"Well, it's true, momma. You said you liked him and he's a good man. What's changed?"

Susan looked at her daughter, still trying to get used to this Miley that argued with her, though she figured it was nothing like what she'd be experiencing with a normal teenager. Miley wasn't normal, that was certain, but it had never bothered Susan beyond the worry it caused in her. Miley was quirky, energetic and often frustrating, but it was **her** daughter nonetheless. Now, however, with these nonsensical answers and supernatural dangers Susan wasn't so sure how she felt anymore.

"Before I thought Richard was a nice man who cared for me and my daughter. Now he's part of some cult trying to **hurt** my daughter."

"We're not trying to hurt her," said Richard.

"The Chamber is not a cult," said Mandy at the same time, sounding annoyed at the insinuation.

"We want to protect Miley, as we've protected the energy for centuries." Richard felt he was close to getting through to Susan.

"If someone is really trying to hurt her how are you going to stop them, huh? You didn't stop them this time until it was almost too late!" Susan's voice rose at the end and the slight quiver told everyone around her she was not really mad at Richard as much as at herself. She had almost let someone kill her daughter. She had forced Miley to waste away.

Miley reached for her mother's hand and tugged until the woman looked at her. "Momma, it's not your fault."

"Miley…"

Richard finally took a step closer and put a hand on Susan's shoulder. This time she did not move away. "Susan, we're going to do everything possible to protect Miley."

"How?"

Richard glanced at Mandy, who gave an almost imperceptible nod. He looked from curious Miley to a very anxious Susan. "We want Miley to come live with us."

"At Hogw…"

Susan's stern glance stopped Miley mid-sentence. The girl grinned sheepishly, as if she were hardly concerned with the seriousness and weirdness of the situation. Then again, Susan remembered, Miley was never particularly concerned with anything, one of the reasons she'd been so overprotective. "You want my daughter to come live with your cult? I don't think so."

Richard stopped Mandy's objection with a quick look. "The Chamber owns a huge farm outside Murfreesboro, with plenty of room for Miley, and trees, of course. Many of our members live and work there, which means many, many more eyes looking out for her. It would be near impossible for Caleb's people to get access to our compound. We'll make sure she keeps up her schoolwork, too and if you're still not convinced, there's certainly room enough on the farm for you, as well. Please Susan, please think about this; Miley's safety is at stake."

Susan pulled away from him, angry again. "Don't make it sound like I don't care about my daughter's safety, Richard. This is a lot to take in and I'm still not sure I believe you."

"Perhaps it'd be best if we returned to your house, let Miley get cleaned up and fed and we can talk about this some more. We know this is all hard to believe, but Miley's safety is our topmost concern. At least let us discuss everything and allow us to answer all your questions; there's no need to make a rash decision right now." Mandy's voice had taken on a placating tone.

"Are you a lawyer or something?" Miley was studying Mandy inquisitively, eyebrows drawn together.

Mandy gave Miley a dumbfounded look, but the girl didn't leave time for an answer. Miley hopped off the tailgate, brushing off cookie crumbs and some dried mud and motioned towards the dirt road. "I'm hungry so I say we go. I'm riding with Lilly."

"Not like that you're not," said Lilly, eyeing half wet and half dry, muddy Miley.

"I've got a spare set of sweats in the car she could wear," said Mandy, a little too eager to have her plan followed through.

Miley noticed her mother hadn't moved, the worry and confusion still etched on her face. She took Susan's hand and pulled her towards the front of the truck. "Come on, momma, let's go."

"Miley…" Susan sounded unsure and hesitant, not yet willing to allow these people into her home with their wild stories and plans to take Miley away.

"It's just to talk, Susan," said Richard from the other side of the truck, where he was already climbing into the driver's side.

Miley nodded, opening the passenger door to usher her mother inside. Susan sat in the seat reluctantly, only realizing she was stuck in the truck with Richard when Miley closed the door. Miley grinned triumphantly at Lilly as she turned. Mandy motioned at her car. "Come on, I'll get you those sweats."

Lilly nearly reached out to stop Miley from following the woman and realized she herself did not fully trust the crazy stories. Miley, however, seemed perfectly content in Mandy and Richard's presence now and followed along without a second thought. She walked to the trunk of Mandy's car with the woman, swinging her arms excitedly.

"So, what kind of job do you do for that Chamber?" asked Miley curiously, glad she no longer had to be mistrustful of these people. She really didn't like mistrusting people.

Mandy looked at her, trying to suppress a smile. "I'm one of their lawyers."

Miley grinned, bouncing on her heels happily. "I knew it."

_to be continued_


	16. Epilogue

Once again, I meant to have this up sooner but I'm slaving over this horrible history paper so everything else just kind of fell by the wayside. Thanks again to everyone who has so loyally stuck with me through this story. I am definitely still planning to write the sequel, but I suppose I may have to wait a while until this class is over. I'm also looking to write something shorter and unrelated perhaps, so if anyone's got any good ideas, let me know ;) Here's the (temporary) end

* * *

**Epilogue**

Lilly stacked a few more books in the box and closed the top. Looking behind her she noticed she was the only one packing and got up to make her way through the mess on the floor to the bed. She stood beside it and kicked the mattress. "Miley."

Miley looked up at her girlfriend and grinned. Within the first two minutes of packing she'd discovered an old stack of Mickey Mouse comics and was currently lounging on the stripped bed, flipping through the pages of one of the comics. Lilly was giving her an exasperated look, but Miley could tell easily she wasn't really mad.

"Why am I the only one packing, Miles?"

"I didn't even wanna pack in the first place," said Miley with a shrug, setting her comic to the side.

Lilly sighed and flopped onto the bed next to her girlfriend. Miley didn't hesitate to roll halfway onto Lilly, kissing her enthusiastically. Her hands snaked under Lilly's shirt, her kisses increasing in intensity and it took Lilly several minutes to gather the strength to pull away from her gorgeous girlfriend. "When is Richard coming to pick you up?"

Miley made a face and scooted down Lilly's body until her head rested on her girlfriend's chest. Lilly immediately tangled her fingers in the brown locks before her and Miley sighed contently. "I don't wanna go."

"Uh, Miles, you're the one who convinced your mom to let you go," said Lilly, slightly confused. She knew Miley had spent the past few weeks since Richard's big reveal talking her mom into letting her live with the Chamber. Lilly herself wasn't sure it was a good idea, but Miley and Richard, combined with an occasional input from Mandy, made a formidable team.

"I know."

"Why do that if you didn't want to go?"

Miley sighed. "I have to. Something big is happening, I can tell."

Lilly, still uncomfortable with the implications Richard's story had for Miley's well-being, nudged her girlfriend lightly to try and change the topic. "Just like you could tell I was going to UCLA?"

"Well, you **are** going away," Miley mumbled into Lilly's shoulder.

"Yes, to **Nashville**, that's hardly far," Lilly countered, feeling much lighter now the stressful choice over her schooling had been decided. After the turmoil with Miley's illness and revival and Richard's crazy explanation Lilly had known no matter how much she'd always wanted to attend UCLA, she could not leave her girlfriend behind. Her parents, on the other hand, did not see it the same way and Lilly's answer had finally come in the form of an acceptance letter from Vanderbilt University in Nashville. It was a good enough school to satisfy her parents' wishes and close enough she could still see Miley.

"Still a different county," said Miley petulantly, but Lilly knew she was happy they didn't really have to separate.

A knock sounded on the doorframe and Lilly lifted her head just enough to see over Miley. Susan stood in the doorframe, looking anything but thrilled. Lilly knew the woman wasn't happy about having Miley move out; even though the Chamber had offered her a space as well, Susan had elected to stay behind as someone had to take care of Grandma Ruby, who absolutely refused to leave her house.

"Miley, you're supposed to be packing. Richard's gonna be here any minute," said Susan, though she didn't sound as exasperated as she normally did when Miley failed to follow instructions. Her daughter's impending move was weighing heavily on her. In a way she had never really expected Miley to move out, couldn't have fathomed there'd come a day when she couldn't constantly keep an eye on her quirky, accident-prone daughter.

"Richard's a wizard, he can pack with magic." Miley's voice was muffled against Lilly's shirt, but everyone still heard her clearly enough to roll their eyes.

"I don't think that's how it works, hun," said Susan, suppressing a smile.

"It's not."

Susan startled hearing the voice right behind her and turned to face Richard, who had come up the stairs without her hearing him. She had yet to forgive him for the months of lies and putting Miley at risk, but Susan had to admit she had enjoyed his company and attention before and missed it now. As mad as she was with him, Susan believed him enough to trust him with Miley's safety and now he had come to take her baby away. She hadn't given in, however, until he had promised to bring Miley home every weekend at the minimum.

"Miley, are you ready? We've got to go soon; the Chamber wants to meet you," said Richard as he leaned against the door jamb, acutely aware of how close he was to Susan. He really wasn't sure what the status of their relationship was now and was just trying to focus on Miley to give Susan some space. He was still confident, however, she would come around, just as she had about Miley moving to the farm.

"You shouldn't have told her that," said Lilly, pushing Miley off of her to get up. Miley just flopped onto her stomach on the bed, unconcerned with everyone waiting for her. Lilly nudged Miley's hip with her knee, but got no response. "She'll never get up now."

"Well, I packed her clothes this morning; I guess she doesn't need anything else," said Susan with a shrug, though it was easy to hear the humor in her voice.

Miley rolled over. "So I don't have to pack then?"

"I guess not." Richard shrugged, glad he wouldn't have to carry multiple boxes to the car. He moved to grab the suitcase Susan was pointing at, just as Miley hopped off the bed. She grabbed the few comics strewn across her bed and rushed out of her bedroom, down the stairs. Lilly just shook her head and followed, but Susan stopped Richard with a hand on his arm.

For a moment he thought perhaps she wanted to talk to him about their relationship, but the look on her face said otherwise. "Dr. Khauf called again this morning."

Richard frowned. He'd been able to convince Susan, with Mandy's help, that even if Dr. Khauf hadn't actively made Miley sick, he clearly hadn't helped and wasn't needed. He himself was convinced the good doctor was up to no good, but as he'd had no proof he'd just had to convince Susan to not take Miley back now that she was better. It hadn't been too hard to convince her; doctor visits weren't cheap and now that Miley felt better it was harder to justify spending the money.

"I thought you told him Miley was better."

"I did. He still wants to check her out, make sure everything really is okay."

Richard shook his head. "That's a bad idea."

"Why? It can't hurt to have her checked out. I want to make sure she really is okay, Richard. Dr. Khauf has never been anything but nice and forthcoming," said Susan, her voice argumentative.

"Of course, but we have a doctor on the farm. I'll have him check Miley out first thing, okay? There's no need to keep someone else involved, especially considering how crazy everything is getting." Richard hoped this would pacify her, having no intention of trying to convince her Dr. Khauf may not be who she thought he was.

"First thing?" asked Susan, feeling her resolve wavering.

"I promise. I'm going to take good care of Miley, Susan." Richard put his hand on her upper arm to reassure her without thinking and was surprised when she didn't back away.

Susan nodded and walked towards the stairs, leaving him to deal with the suitcase. He made his way downstairs and out of the front door, where Miley, Lilly and Susan were already waiting by his truck. He heaved the suitcase into the truckbed and nodded towards the cab.

"Are you ready to go?"

Miley nodded and darted forward to plant a kiss on Lilly's lips. Lilly grabbed Miley's hips to hold her in place, letting the kiss continue despite everyone watching. Miley grinned when she pulled away and dutifully moved to hug her mother.

"Lilly and I will see you in two days, sweet pea, okay? I want you to listen to Richard and be good. Do your schoolwork."

Miley smirked, her voice almost sing-songy when she responded. "I didn't pack any of my books."

Miley, still grinning, turned to walk towards the passenger side door. Richard laughed at the triumph he could hear in her voice and see written on her face. "Don't worry, Miley, your new tutor already had all the things you need for school delivered to the farm. You won't have to miss a day of learning."

The look on her face was priceless, a mix of defeat, contrition and annoyance. He could easily read the flight response crossing her features, but Lilly was already by Miley's side to usher her to the truck. Lilly ensured Miley got into the truck and buckled her in, working hard to control the grin wanting to erupt at the miserable look on her girlfriend's face. She leaned in to peck Miley's lips again, eliciting the tiniest hint of a smile.

"Don't worry, Roadkill, you'll be just fine."

Lilly closed the door and Richard pulled out of the driveway almost immediately. Susan and Lilly watched as they drove away, both lost in their own thoughts. But one thing was sure: neither woman could say for certain Lilly's words had been the truth.

_The End Part II_


End file.
